performative
adjective
(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.
performatively
-
a word derived from
performative.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Almost performatively indifferent to fame, McCarthy instead tended to the myth, nurtured all his life, that he was a loner and outsider.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Not performatively fun, not “I’m smiling through gritted teeth” fun, but genuinely pleasurable, in that way long projects can feel when the rhythm carries you.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2025
In the video of his arrest, he appeared calm, perhaps performatively so, for the sake of his wife, who was recording it.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2025
“On the whole, Russia’s response to terrorism in the Putin years has been almost performatively brutal,” analyst and journalist Edward Lucas wrote in an online article for the Center for European Policy Analysis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
I think we contestants were also made to performatively eat a hamburger — I’ve kind of blocked that part out.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
