act naturally
Perform seeming effortless
Act naturally means to behave in an unaffected, spontaneous way—to not put on airs or appear self-conscious.
The phrase contains a quiet contradiction: if you're trying to act natural, you're no longer being natural.
It's often advice given to nervous people: Just act naturally and you'll be fine.
The inherent paradox makes it a common example of an oxymoron.
- behaveAct in acceptable ways
- spontaneousArising without external cause
- unforcedNot made to happen
- genuineTruly what it claims
- authenticVerified as original
keep it real · oxymoron · contradiction · effortless · casual · pretend · relaxed · unstudied · easygoing · facade · irony · composed · nonchalant · feign · mask · false front · paradox · inner conflict
- oxymoronsbittersweet, deafening silence, pretty ugly, living dead, alone together
- Nonsense & Oxymoronsparadox, contradiction, nonsense, gibberish, balderdash
act naturallybe yourself
Embrace your authenticity
be authentic · put on airs · perform · playact · ham it up
acting, action, actions, active, activity, activities, actor, actors, actress