Performative

Quick meaning: Performative is an adjective meaning (philosophy, linguistics) Being enacted as it is said.

Meaning

(philosophy, linguistics) Being enacted as it is said.

More Meanings

1. Insincere, inauthentic or disingenuous; done solely or largely as a performance, to produce an impression or enhance one's reputation.
2. A performative utterance.

Example Sentences

Saying "I do" as part of a wedding ceremony is performative, enacting a marriage.

After the photos of Jenner and Elordi were published there was a stream of online discourse stating we had entered an era of performative reading.

The reality of remote working has turned out to be different. Days have become longer and employees are demonstratively visible. Work has become more performative.

We were beginning to suspect that her ethical qualms were sometimes performative, as the urgent need for fairness and justice seemed to apply to some people but not to others.

Word Forms

• performatives

Synonyms for performative

Depending on context, synonyms include performatory, workly, illocutionary.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include performatory, exercitive, prothesized, philodramatic, purported, pseudophilosophical.

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