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

I hate the forced laughter, the awkward posing, and the concept of talking about absolutely nothing just to be polite.

Read more on Literature

Cruise, 63, was still shaking hands and posing for pictures long after the ceremony ended Sunday night.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ulster Wildlife said rats are a major issue for many seabird islands across the UK, posing a threat to eggs and chicks.

Read more on BBC

AI spenders have a combined capital expenditure/operating cash flow ratio similar to US oil majors but trade at record multiples, posing vulnerability to selloffs.

Read more on Barron's

“Right now, the more common thing is people posing as particular plans,” he said.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• charade 
• cloak 
• pretext 
• semblance 
• veneer