posture

[pos-cher]

noun

1. the relative disposition of the parts of something.

2. the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole.

   poor posture; a sitting posture.

3. an affected or unnatural attitude.

   He struck a comic posture.

4. a mental or spiritual attitude.

   His ideas reveal a defensive posture.

5. one's image or policy as perceived by the public, other nations, etc..

   The company wants to develop a more aggressive marketing posture.

6. position, condition, or state, as of affairs.

verb (used with object)

postured, posturing 

1. to place in a particular posture or attitude.

2. to position, especially strategically.

   to posture troops along a border.

3. to develop a policy or stance for (oneself, a company, government, etc.).

   The White House postured itself for dealing with the fuel crisis.

4. to adopt an attitude or take an official position on (a matter).

   The company postured that the court's ruling could be interpreted as being in its favor.

verb (used without object)

postured, posturing 

1. to assume a particular posture.

2. to assume affected or unnatural postures, as by bending or contorting the body.

3. to act in an affected or artificial manner, as to create a certain impression.

posture

/ ˈpɒstʃə /

noun

1. a position or attitude of the limbs or body

2. a characteristic manner of bearing the body; carriage

   to have good posture

3. the disposition of the parts of a visible object

4. a mental attitude or frame of mind

5. a state, situation, or condition

6. a false or affected attitude; pose

verb

1. to assume or cause to assume a bodily position or attitude

2. (intr) to assume an affected or unnatural bodily or mental posture; pose

Other Word Forms

• postural adjective
• posturer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of posture¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French, from Italian postura, from Latin positūra. See posit, -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of posture¹

C17: via French from Italian postura, from Latin positūra, from pōnere to place

Synonym Study

See position.

Example Sentences

But be careful: Wearing a vest during really intense or long workouts can lead to posture issues or a greater risk of injury as muscles fatigue, Purdom says.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Phones have ruined both our attention spans and our posture.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Many in Washington will be tempted to answer this nonsense in Brussels with a stridently anti-EU posture.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Israel’s military didn’t specifically commit to stopping its attacks, but indicated it was moving to a more defensive posture, saying it would prepare for the release of the hostages and react quickly to any threat.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

He doesn’t yell as loud as the others, but even his posture is intimidating.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• attitude 
• disposition 
• feeling 
• frame of mind 
• mood 
• outlook 
• sentiment 
• stance