What does affectation mean?
Affectation refers to behaviour, speech, dress, or mannerisms that a person adopts not out of genuine character but in order to impress others or to project an identity that is not truly their own. Someone who affects a foreign accent they never acquired, feigns indifference they do not feel, or adopts elaborate vocabulary to seem cultured is displaying affectation. The word almost always carries disapproval: it implies vanity, insincerity, or self-conscious posturing, and it is frequently used in social commentary and literary criticism to puncture pretentiousness. A related sense describes a deliberate show or pretence of a particular attitude, as in 'an affectation of calm'. The term derives from the Latin verb afficere, meaning to act upon or influence, entering English through the noun of action formed from 'affect'. Because it names a universal human failing — the temptation to seem rather than to be — affectation remains a sharp, useful word for describing artificiality in manners, taste, and expression.
nounBehaviour, speech, or mannerisms adopted to impress others or to appear different from one's natural self; an artificial display intended to create a particular impression. It can also denote an instance of such pretence.
- An artificial trait, mannerism, or mode of speech adopted to impress others or to seem other than one is.
- A deliberate pretence or show of a quality, attitude, or feeling that is not genuinely felt (e.g. 'an affectation of indifference').
- (Archaic/rare) A strong liking or fondness for something; an inclination toward it.
"Her French accent was pure affectation — she had never set foot in Paris."
"He spoke with an air of weary sophistication that struck her as mere affectation."
"The critic dismissed the poet's archaic spellings as literary affectation rather than genuine style."
The plural typically denotes several distinct mannerisms or pretences displayed by one person, or affectations found across a group or body of work.
"The novelist filled her heroines with the speech patterns and affectations of the aristocracy she observed."
Affectation and affection come from the same Latin root — but one describes fake feelings put on for show, while the other describes real ones.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of affectation
Affectation comes from the Latin verb afficere, meaning 'to act upon, influence, or affect', via its past participle affectus. The word entered English in the early modern period, likely in the sixteenth century, initially carrying senses relating to inclination or striving toward something before settling into its dominant modern meaning of artificial behaviour assumed for effect. It shares this Latin root with 'affect', 'affection', and 'disaffected', which explains why 'affectation' and 'affection' are so easily confused despite having diverged into nearly opposite meanings.
How affectation is actually used
Affectation carries a strongly negative connotation, implying insincerity or vanity in the person displaying it. It is most often used in social, literary, or cultural criticism rather than casual conversation. The plural 'affectations' typically refers to multiple individual mannerisms or pretences of one person.
Easily confused with affectation
Affection means fondness or tender feeling toward someone, whereas affectation means artificial behaviour adopted to impress others.
'Effectation' is not a standard English word; the correct spelling is 'affectation', beginning with 'a'.