posing

¹

[poh-zing]

noun

1. the act or practice of assuming a particular attitude or stance, especially with the hope of impressing others.

   The new website aims to strip away the pretentious posing of wine connoisseurs, inviting users to “tell us what tastes good to you!”

2. the act or practice of falsely representing oneself.

   Under all his posing as an honest reporter, his real purpose is to defend a barbarous regime.

3. the act of assuming or holding a particular physical position, or of placing someone else in such a position, as for a portrait or photograph.

   She liked to paint women and children, and the natural posing of her subjects is still unsurpassed.

4. the act of putting forward, stating, or suggesting something, as a question, hypothesis, matter for consideration, etc..

   Classroom strategies like cooperative learning and the posing of open-ended questions can encourage thinking and discussion.

adjective

1. falsely representing oneself, or assuming a particular attitude or stance in the hope of impressing others.

   I don’t fit in—everyone else in that place is a filmmaker, an "edgy" magazine journalist, or a posing hipster.

2. assuming a particular physical position, as for a portrait or photograph.

   I love how real and natural these images are—no posing tourists, just scenic beauty on its own.

posing

²

[poh-zing]

adjective

1. baffling, perplexing, or vexing; difficult.

   The command to “love your neighbor as you love yourself” has within it the most posing challenge for you and me—learning to love ourselves.

Other Word Forms

• posingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of posing¹

First recorded in 1850–55; pos(e) ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; pos(e) ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses

Origin of posing²

pos(e) ² ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Emhoff, who was in attendance at the event and posing for pictures with Harris supporters, declined comment about the event.

From Los Angeles Times

Researchers posing as beauticians secretly filmed a nurse trading prescriptions over WhatsApp, a pharmacist coaching clients to falsify records and a bogus doctor handing over Korean toxin vials for cash.

From BBC

Another of Kirk posing with angel wings and halo.

From Salon

The organisation added that these countries are "allies or close partners of the United States posing no threat to US national security."

From BBC

As at Whistling Straits four years ago, the visitors have been on a charm offensive, signing thousands of autographs and posing for selfies but they know the noise will be turned up come game day.

From BBC

Related Words

• charade 
• cloak 
• pretext 
• semblance 
• veneer