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

Explanation

Does someone you know always shrug in a particular way or say "You know what I mean?" at the end of every sentence? Well, that's a mannerism, a habitual gesture or way of speaking. Generally, we don't use then term mannerism as a critical term for our friends' behavior, but when applied as a term of art criticism, it can be a negative thing. If a critic talks about a writer's mannerisms, for example, it's probably intended as an insult — suggesting they're writing in a lazy or clichéd way. However, Mannerism, with a capital "M," refers to a specific 16th-century Italian style of painting known for its artificial (as opposed to naturalistic) effects.

Example Sentences

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

But neither actress leans into mannerism or quirk; neither showboats.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2022

Bart is himself stuck in maximum overdrive, in a performance that is all joke-milking and mannerism.

From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2021

Jethro had picked up a mannerism from his mother.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

Related Words

• eccentricity
• idiosyncrasy
• quirk
• trait