Masquerade Definition

măskə-rād
masqueraded, masquerades, masquerading
noun
masquerades
A ball or party at which masks and fancy costumes or disguises are worn.
Webster's New World
A costume for such a ball or party.
Webster's New World
A disguise, false show, or pretense.
Webster's New World
A living or acting under false pretenses.
Webster's New World
An involved scheme; a charade.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
verb
masqueraded, masquerades, masquerading
To take part in a masquerade.
Webster's New World
To go about as if in disguise; have or put on a deceptive appearance.
The stowaway masqueraded as a crew member.
American Heritage
To live or act under false pretenses.
Webster's New World
(intransitive) To frolic or disport in disguise; to make a pretentious show of being what one is not.
He masqueraded as my friend until the truth finally came out.
A freak took an ass in the head, and he goes into the woods, masquerading up and down in a lion's skin - Roger L'Estrange.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:

Other Word Forms of Masquerade

Noun

Singular:
masquerade
Plural:
masquerades

Origin of Masquerade

  • French mascarade from Italian mascarata variant of mascherata from Old Italian maschera mask mask

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From French mascarade (Spanish mascarada), from Italian mascarata (mascherata). See “mask".

    From Wiktionary

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