play-acting

English

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play-acting

Where it comes from

From play-act + -ing.

noun play-actings · playacting

uncountable, usually The acting of a play or plays; the occupation of an actor; dramatic performance. Despite growing Puritan disapproval of play-acting, vehemently expressed in sermons and pamphlets, Charles's court was famous for its amateur theatricals.
figuratively, uncountable, usually The act of engaging in pretence or insincere behavior, often in order to mislead someone or gain an advantage. Children's games are often play-actings of adult roles and thus inculcate the values and customs of the culture in a way that formal schooling might neglect.

verb playacting

gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of play-act

Translations

Every language

noun act of engaging in pretence or insincere behavior

Deutsch	Schauspielerei

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MLA

"play-acting." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/play-acting. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

play-acting. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/play-acting

Chicago

"play-acting." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/play-acting.

BibTeX

@misc{play_acting_2026,
  title = {play-acting},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/play-acting},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}