mannerism

Plural: mannerisms

Noun

• a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual
• a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
• A noticeable personal habit, a verbal or other (often, but not necessarily unconscious) habitual behavior peculiar to an individual.
• Exaggerated or affected style in art, speech, or other behavior.
• In literature, an ostentatious and unnatural style of the second half of the sixteenth century. In the contemporary criticism, described as a negation of the classicist equilibrium, pre-Baroque, and deforming expressiveness.
• In fine art, a style that is inspired by previous models, aiming to reproduce subjects in an expressive language.

Synonyms

affectation, affectedness, foible, idiosyncrasy, pose, quirk