grandstanding

[gran-stan-ding, grand-]

noun

1. the act or practice of behaving or performing in a showy way in an attempt to impress others.

   With nearly 14 million unemployed, this grandstanding over such a comparatively small retraining program (only 10,000 people) is downright insulting.

adjective

1. being or engaging in this kind of behavior or performance.

   It’s a nice, quiet movie—no guns or car chases, no grandstanding actors, and not too fast-paced.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandstanding¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; grandstand ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; grandstand ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

But it is so firmly grounded in truthful and complicated detail drawn from Mr. Dunne’s actual experience that it makes its powerful moral argument without any need for grandstanding or preaching.

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There is more to Noah Lyles than just the showmanship, the grandstanding and the dyed orange hair.

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But grandstanding for the committee isn't Davie or Shah's style either.

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A series of missteps, grandstanding, geopolitics and domestic political pressure seem to have broken down the negotiations.

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The U.S. and Malaysia have largely enjoyed warm relations over the years, notwithstanding occasional rhetorical grandstanding, especially on the part of former longtime Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

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Related Words

• egocentric 
• egotistical www.thesaurus.com
• self-absorbed 
• self-indulgent 
• selfish