French word

affectation

Pronunciation

IPA/afɛktasjɔ̃/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpretentiousness

Example

Son affectation est évidente quand il parle.

His pretentiousness becomes obvious when he speaks.

Illustration for affectation (pretentiousness)

More examples

Elle rit sans affectation.

She laughs without pretense.

Core concept

An unnatural public manner deliberately polished to create an impression or conceal the real personality.

Common phrases

  • sans affectation

    without pretense

  • un air d'affectation

    a pretentious air

Similar words

air: An outward air or impression conveyed by someone's appearance and behavior.
manière: A person's outward manner in speech, actions, or attitude.
pose: A deliberately showy attitude or gesture adopted to impress others.

Definition in French

Attitude ou manière de parler ou d'agir volontairement étudiée et artificielle, visant à impressionner autrui ou à dissimuler sa véritable personnalité.

Word origin

The noun affectation derives from Latin affectatio through Old French and is related to affectare, which could mean to assume or pretend.

Usage tips

  • French affectation also means an administrative assignment or posting, so context distinguishes that sense from a studied manner.

Other meanings

  • posturingnoun
  • artificialitynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • affecterfeignverb
  • affectéaffectedadjective

Word lists with this word