Strutters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People who walk in a confident, and often exaggerated or ostentatious, manner, displaying their style or attitude
2. Individuals who parade or flaunt their appearance, usually in a deliberate way to attract attention
3. Those who move with a lively or pompous gait, often aiming to showcase their importance or flair

Etymology: "Strutters" is the plural of "strutter", so its history is that of the verb "strut" plus the agent suffix "-er," which marks someone who performs an action. The base verb "strut" appears in Middle English as a form of "strouten," meaning to stick out or swell, and the sense of stiff, showy walking grew out of that idea of puffing oneself up. The suffix attached to it to name the person doing the strutting, giving us "strouter" or "stroutere" in Middle English, and the modern spelling settled over time. The plural simply adds "-s" to that noun, so "strutters" names a group of people who walk with that same proud, exaggerated bearing. The word is a plain, transparent formation, built from familiar English parts rather than borrowed from another language.

Synonyms: walkers, paraders, stalkers, swaggerers, prancers

Antonyms: shufflers, slouchers, lurkers, lurkers, creepers