affectation

Từ điển American Heritage Dictionary 4th

af·fec·ta·tion (ăf'ĕk-tāʹshən)n.
1. A show, pretense, or display.
2.
a. Behavior that is assumed rather than natural; artificiality.
b. A particular habit, as of speech or dress, adopted to give a false impression. [Latin affectātiō, affectātiōn-, from affectātus, past participle of affectāre, to strive after. See affect².] 
Synonyms: affectation, pose¹, air, mannerism
These nouns refer to personal behavior assumed for effect. An affectation is artificial behavior, often adopted in imitation of someone, that is perceived as being unnatural: “His [Arthur Rubinstein's] playing stripped away... the affectations and exaggerations that characterized Chopin interpretation before his arrival” (Michael Kimmelman). Pose denotes an attitude adopted to call favorable attention to oneself: His humility is only a pose. Air, meaning a distinctive but intangible quality, does not always imply sham: The director had an air of authority. In the plural, however, it suggests affectation and self-importance: The movie star was putting on airs. Mannerism denotes an idiosyncratic trait or quirk, often one that others find obtrusive and distracting: His mannerism of closing his eyes as he talked made it seem as if he were deep in thought.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  mannerism, pose, affectedness