Attitudinizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Assuming a posture of superiority while feigning expertise or sophistication
2. Engaging in behaviors that emphasize an artificial persona or contrived mannerisms
3. Taking on an exaggerated or artificial style of behavior that is meant to impress or convey a certain image

Etymology: The verb "attitudinize" means to pose or strike attitudes for effect, and the word has an odd double ancestry. Its base, "attitude," came into English from Italian "attitudine," which itself traces back to Latin "aptitūdō," meaning fitness or aptness. The Italian sense of posture or bodily position came first, and English later took the idea of a mental stance from it. So "attitude" began as a word about how well something fits, and only later came to describe the way a person holds their body or mind. The ending "-ize" was added to that noun to turn it into a verb meaning "to adopt attitudes." Forms with this suffix, which can mean "to act in the manner of," were a productive way of making verbs in English, and "attitudinize" follows that pattern. The result describes someone who is not simply holding a stance but performing one for an audience.

Synonyms: posturing, affecting