What does "masquerade" mean?
An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
Masquerade
/ˌmæskəˈɹeɪd/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
- Grammar: masquerade is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: mask, accouter, act, act a part.
- Useful contrasts: authenticity, candor, disclose.
- Usage evidence: What is the reason for this masquerade?
How to use "masquerade"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "masquerade" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "masquerade" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "masquerade" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "masquerade" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "masquerade" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "mask" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "masquerade", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions. also, attributive
"I was invited to the masquerade party at their home."
- 2 making a false outward show wordnet
- 3 The act of wearing a mask or dressing up in a costume for, or as if for, a masquerade ball. also, attributive
- 4 a costume worn as a disguise at a masquerade party wordnet
- 5 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. also, attributive, figuratively
"Verres in the youth of Cicero, Catiline and Clodius in his middle age, Mark Antony in his old age, have all been left to operate on the modern reader's feelings precisely through that masquerade of misrepresentation which invariably accompanied the political eloquence of Rome."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a party of guests wearing costumes and masks wordnet
- 7 An assembly of varied, often fanciful, things. also, attributive, figuratively
- 8 A cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits. also, attributive, slang
- 9 A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask or masque. also, attributive, obsolete
- 10 A Spanish entertainment or military exercise in which squadrons of horses charge at each other, the riders fighting with bucklers and canes. also, attributive, obsolete, rare
Verb
- 1 To take part in a masquerade; to assemble in masks and costumes; (loosely) to wear a disguise. also, attributive, intransitive
"I’m going to masquerade as an old-fashioned pilot. What are you going to dress up as?"
- 2 pretend to be someone or something that you are not wordnet
- 3 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. also, attributive, figuratively, intransitive
"He masqueraded as my friend until the truth finally came out."
- 4 take part in a masquerade wordnet
- 5 To conceal (someone) with, or as if with, a mask; to disguise. also, attributive, rare, transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"What is the reason for this masquerade?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "masquerade"?
Common synonyms include: mask, accouter, act, act a part, act as, act out.
How do you use "masquerade" in a sentence?
What is the reason for this masquerade?
How do you pronounce "masquerade"?
Pronounced /ˌmæskəˈɹeɪd/.
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.