What does "posture" mean?
The way a person holds and positions their body.
Posture
/ˈpɒst͡ʃə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The way a person holds and positions their body.
- Grammar: posture is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: attitude, bearing, position, stance.
- Useful contrasts: authenticity, honesty, indifference.
- Usage evidence: He likes to posture as an intellectual.
How to use "posture"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "posture" 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 "posture" 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 "posture" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "posture" 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 "posture" is acting as noun, verb 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 "attitude" 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 "posture", 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 The way a person holds and positions their body. countable, uncountable
"As if that whatsoever god who leads him Were slily crept into his human powers, And gave him graceful posture."
- 2 characteristic way of bearing one's body wordnet
- 3 A situation or condition. countable, uncountable
"Even as I was reading these fables of my millions, there lay on the desk before me a statement of the exact posture of my affairs […]"
- 4 the arrangement of the body and its limbs wordnet
- 5 One's attitude or the social or political position one takes towards an issue or another person. countable, uncountable
"1651, Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan ...that is, their Forts, Garrisons, and Guns upon the Frontiers of their Kingdomes; and continuall Spyes upon their neighbours; which is a posture of War."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 capability in terms of personnel and materiel that affect the capacity to fight a war wordnet
- 7 The position of someone or something relative to another; position; situation. countable, rare, uncountable
"1661, Thomas Salusbury (translator), Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World The Moon beheld in any posture, in respect of the Sun and us, sheweth us its superficies ... always equally clear."
- 8 a rationalized mental attitude wordnet
Verb
- 1 to put one's body into a posture or series of postures, especially hoping that one will be noticed and admired intransitive
"If you're finished posturing in front of the mirror, can I use the bathroom now?"
- 2 assume a posture as for artistic purposes wordnet
- 3 to pretend to have an opinion or a conviction intransitive
"The politicians couldn't really care less about the issue: they're just posturing for the media."
- 4 behave affectedly or unnaturally in order to impress others wordnet
- 5 To place in a particular position or attitude; to pose. transitive
"to posture oneself; to posture a model"
Antonyms
Example
"He likes to posture as an intellectual."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "posture"?
Common synonyms include: attitude, bearing, position, stance, act, acting.
How do you use "posture" in a sentence?
He likes to posture as an intellectual.
How do you pronounce "posture"?
Pronounced /ˈpɒst͡ʃə/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French posture, from Italian postura, from Latin positūra (“position, situation”). Doublet of positura.