Definition of MASQUERADE

masquerade

Plural: masquerades

Noun

  • a party of guests wearing costumes and masks
  • a costume worn as a disguise at a masquerade party
  • making a false outward show
    • "a beggar's masquerade of wealth"
  • An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
  • The act of wearing a mask or dressing up in a costume for, or as if for, a masquerade ball.
  • An act of living under false pretenses; a concealment of something by a false or unreal show; a disguise, a pretence; also, a pretentious display.
  • An assembly of varied, often fanciful, things.
  • A cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits.
  • A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask or masque.
  • A Spanish entertainment or military exercise in which squadrons of horses charge at each other, the riders fighting with bucklers and canes.

Verb

  • take part in a masquerade
  • pretend to be someone or something that you are not
  • To take part in a masquerade; to assemble in masks and costumes; (loosely) to wear a disguise.
  • To pass off as a different person or a person with qualities that one does not possess; also, to make a pretentious show of being what one is not.
  • To conceal (someone) with, or as if with, a mask; to disguise.

Examples

  • He masqueraded as my friend until the truth finally came out.
  • I was invited to the masquerade party at their home.
  • I’m going to masquerade as an old-fashioned pilot. What are you going to dress up as?

Origin / Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Middle French mascarade, masquarade, masquerade (modern French mascarade (“masquerade, masque; farce”)), and its etymon Italian mascherata (“masquerade”), from maschera (“mask”) + -ata. Maschera is derived from Medieval Latin masca (“mask”): see further there. The English word is cognate with Late Latin masquarata, Portuguese mascarada, Spanish mascarada.
The verb is derived from the noun.

Synonyms

fancy dress, mask, masque, masquerade costume, masquerade party

Scrabble Score: 22

masquerade: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
masquerade: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
masquerade: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 24

masquerade: valid Words With Friends Word