masquerade
Other forms: masquerading; masquerades; masqueraded
To masquerade means "to pretend to be someone else." If you masquerade as a sweet, kind-hearted person, you present that image to the world, hiding your true identity as a jerk who has rage issues.
As a verb, masquerade can also mean to dress up as someone else, in costume. At the parade, you will masquerade as the court jester, wearing a purple outfit and bells and tossing candy to little kids. The noun masquerade refers to both your costume, which usually includes a mask, and the event where you will wear it. The fun is in hiding your real identity for the night.
-
a party of guests wearing costumes and disguisessynonyms: mask, masque, masquerade partytypes:type of:partya group of people gathered together for pleasure
-
a costume worn as a disguise at a partysynonyms: fancy dress, masquerade costume
-
making a false outward show
-
take part in a costume party
-
pretend to be someone or something that you are not“he is masquerading as an expert on the internet”“This silly novel is masquerading as a serious historical treaty”type of:impersonate, personate, posepretend to be someone you are not; sometimes with fraudulent intentions
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing masquerade
This memoir recounts Noah's childhood in South Africa during the last years of apartheid.
No time to scour the headlines or watch the news? No problem! We’ve rounded up the top words heard, read, debated, and discussed this week. We saw new life stirring in places that were previously stagnant. There were two billion-dollar corporate sales — one hopes to provide an infusion of fresh energy into the dying magazine industry, and the other seeks to overhaul a restaurant chain. A series of deals led to the end of Republican procrastination on their previously stalled tax bill, and an ingenious Canadian boy hopes the dictionary will be expeditious in adopting a word he coined. Take a look back at the week that was, vocabulary style.
French for "Fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras originated as a celebration of spring and evolved into an indulgent period often followed by fasting and sacrifice. It is an opportunity to have some Fun, Food, and Faith.