mannerism

American  

[man-uh-riz-uhm] / ˈmæn əˌrɪz əm /

noun

1. a habitual or characteristic manner, mode, or way of doing something; distinctive quality or style, as in behavior or speech.

   He has an annoying mannerism of tapping his fingers while he talks. They copied his literary mannerisms but always lacked his ebullience.

2. marked or excessive adherence to an unusual or a particular manner, especially if affected.

   Natural courtesy is a world apart from snobbish mannerism.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a style in the fine arts developed principally in Europe during the 16th century, chiefly characterized by a complex perspectival system, elongation of forms, strained gestures or poses of figures, and intense, often strident color.

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mannerism British  

/ ˈmænəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. a distinctive and individual gesture or trait; idiosyncrasy

2. (often capital) a principally Italian movement in art and architecture between the High Renaissance and Baroque periods (1520–1600) that sought to represent an ideal of beauty rather than natural images of it, using characteristic distortion and exaggeration of human proportions, perspective, etc

3. adherence to a distinctive or affected manner, esp in art or literature

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Other Word Forms

• mannerist noun
• manneristic adjective
• manneristically adverb
• nonmanneristic adjective
• semimanneristic adjective

Etymology

Origin of mannerism

First recorded in 1795–1805; manner ¹ + -ism

Example Sentences

Her style, which she described as “clear painting,” looks backward to mannerism and forward to futurism and has a high-gloss sheen to it, like the chrome plating of a motorcar.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2024

So much attention is on their similarities in their swings and other mannerism, but the needle and the trash talking is not to be overlooked.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2023

To help with the pronunciation, the inaugural show’s poster added a French accent aigu to the final letter — Ceejé — a mannerism that was soon dropped.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Gionet’s attorney Zachary Thornley told the judge that “Let’s go” was merely a speech mannerism of Gionet’s, and that he had no plans to enter the Capitol that day.

From Washington Post • Jan. 10, 2023

After that I didn’t pay any more attention to this mannerism of his, because I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good.

From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus

Related Words

• eccentricity
• idiosyncrasy
• quirk
• trait