What does attitudinizing mean?
Attitudinizing refers to the practice of striking exaggerated or artificial poses—physical, verbal, or intellectual—in order to make an impression on others. It is the present participle of the verb attitudinize, which derives from attitude, a word that entered English from Italian via French in the seventeenth century, originally referring to posture in painting and sculpture. Over time the term acquired a strongly negative connotation, describing people who perform emotion or conviction rather than genuinely feel it. A politician attitudinizes when he adopts righteous stances for cameras; a social climber attitudinizes when she affects languid boredom at parties. The word appears most often in formal writing and criticism, where it serves as a pointed accusation of insincerity, and it remains a useful label for theatrical self-display in public life.
The action or practice of assuming exaggerated or affected attitudes and poses for effect; affected, theatrical behavior intended to impress.
"Her speech was pure attitudinizing, full of noble sentiments she had never acted upon."
Usually uncountable; carries a distinctly pejorative tone.
Present participle of attitudinize: to assume such exaggerated or artificial poses and mannerisms.
"The actors kept attitudinizing in front of the mirrors between scenes."
When 'attitude' crossed from Italian into English in the 1600s, it wasn't long before critics coined a word for people who wore theirs on display — attitudinize.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of attitudinizing
Attitudinizing comes from attitudinize, formed in the late eighteenth century by adding the verb suffix -ize to attitude. Attitude itself entered English in the mid-seventeenth century from Italian attitudine, meaning posture or disposition, ultimately from the Latin aptus ('fit, suited') through aptitudo. The word thus shares its root with aptitude and apt, all tracing back to that same Latin adjective for fitness or suitability. Its cognate family includes the rarer form attitudinarian, used for habitual posers.
Related word forms
How attitudinizing is actually used
Register: formal to literary, often carrying a mocking or critical connotation. It typically appears in commentary criticizing insincerity or affectation rather than in neutral description. More common in British usage than American.
Easily confused with attitudinizing
Attenuating means making something weaker or thinner, while attitudinizing means striking affected poses to impress others.
An attitude is simply a settled way of thinking or feeling, whereas attitudinizing is the affected, theatrical display of poses or opinions.