Wayang

Quick meaning: Wayang is a noun meaning A theatrical performance of mythological events employing puppets or human dancers in Malaysia and Indonesia (especially Java).

Meaning

A theatrical performance of mythological events employing puppets or human dancers in Malaysia and Indonesia (especially Java).

More Meanings

1. A shadow theatre performance, or such performances in general.
2. (Malaysia, Singapore, music) Any traditional theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
3. (Singapore, Singlish, Malaysia) Insincere behaviour; an act meant to deceive or mislead.
4. (Singapore, Singlish, never attributive) For show, insincere or fake; ostentatious and showy.
5. (Singapore, Singlish, Malaysia) To put up a front, to pretend (e.g., to be hard at work when one’s superiors are watching) or behave in a false and misleading way, especially if it puts one at an advantage.

Example Sentences

[…] some [MPs] have to do wayang wayang in the evening like meet the people sessions.

They have to review whether they have revealed too much to the public before the wayang goes on.

Besides being adept at directing actors from behind the camera, [Royston] Tan is a bit of a wayang king himself.

Dr Chee called the polls a ‘wayang’ and said they were being held so that the PAP could claim to have the people’s mandate to govern.

Word Forms

• wayangs

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include wong, orang, wajang, joged, jaipongan, joget.

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