# posing

/ˈpoʊzɪŋ/ (US) · /pˈəʊzɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/posing
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. behaving artificially

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

behaving in a way that is not natural or honest, usually to make yourself look more important or cool.

For teachers: the act of adopting an artificial or pretentious manner to impress others or to fit into a specific social group.

- He is tired of all the posing and fake attitudes at these industry parties.
- The critic dismissed the artist's public persona as mere posing, arguing that the rebellious image was carefully constructed for commercial gain.

### 3. artistic positioning

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the way someone is positioned for a photograph or a piece of art.

For teachers: the specific arrangement of the body for artistic or photographic purposes.

- The photographer gave her some advice on posing to make the portrait look more natural.
- In classical portraiture, the posing of the subject often conveyed their social status through specific hand gestures and gaze direction.

## Examples

- His constant posing at parties makes him seem very fake.
- The club was full of people more interested in posing for photos than actually dancing.
- Critics dismissed the artist's public persona as mere posing, arguing that his rebellious image was carefully manufactured to sell more records to a younger audience.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.