performative

[per-fawr-muh-tiv]

adjective

1. Philosophy, Linguistics.,  (of an expression or statement) performing an act by the very fact of being uttered, as with the expression “I promise,” that performs the act of promising.

2. relating to the performance of behaviors associated with a particular social role or identity.

   He reflects on his mother's performative femininity, remembering the times he witnessed her adorning herself with eyeshadow, bracelets, and belts.

3. relating to ways of behaving that exhibit a socially acceptable belief, trait, or quality, often making a superficial impression.

   Performative wokeness enables privileged people to reap the social benefits of wokeness without actually undertaking the necessary legwork to combat inequality.

noun

1. a performative utterance.

performative

/ pəˈfɔːmətɪv /

adjective

1. 1. denoting an utterance that constitutes some act, esp the act described by the verb. For example, I confess that I was there is itself a confession, and so is performative in the narrower sense, while I'd like you to meet … (effecting an introduction) is performative only in the looser sense See also locutionary act illocution perlocution

   2. ( as noun )

      that sentence is a performative

2. 1. denoting a verb that may be used as the main verb in such an utterance

   2. ( as noun )

      ``promise'' is a performative

Other Word Forms

• performatively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of performative¹

First recorded in 1950–55; perform + -ative

Example Sentences

Like a child with a gun, their relative weakness — the performative masculinity of an insecure adolescent — should not blind us to the harm they can cause, nor assure anyone that their failure is inevitable.

From Salon

“It’s all performative and stupid.”

From Los Angeles Times

And certainly not the performative pugilism that some, including the hyper-online Newsom, pass off as leadership.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, some fans are speculating that his firm stance against performing in the U.S. due to ICE was performative, now that he has accepted the Super Bowl gig.

From Los Angeles Times

Brooks described the speech as more than simply “performative,” arguing that its intent was serious: to reshape military leadership in line with the administration’s values.

From Salon