English

edit

Etymology

edit

affectation +‎ -ous or +‎ -ious.

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

affectatious (comparative more affectatious, superlative most affectatious)

  1. Pretentious, artificial, fake, sham, feigned; doing something just for show.
    • 2004, “Chapter Two”, in The Hidden Handshake: National Identity and Europe in the Post-Communist World[1] (Political Science), Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 54:
      At the same time, American intellectual and artistic elites, … help create a sophisticated, if sometimes affectatious urban mentality.

Derived terms

edit