grandstander
Plays to crowds
A grandstander is someone who behaves dramatically to impress an audience rather than accomplish anything substantive.
The term comes from the grandstand—the main seating area at a stadium—and implies playing to the crowd: He dismissed the senator as a grandstander who cared more about cable news clips than legislation.
The verb is grandstand; the behavior is grandstanding.
One who flaunts
- showboatOstentatious attention-seeker
- hotdogSausage in a bun
- peacockOrnate pheasant relative
- exhibitionistOne who exposes themselves
attention-seeker · self-promoter · headline-grabber · scene-stealer · poseur · strutter · flashy · brash
One who flaunts achievements
- boasterOne who brags
- narcissistSelf-obsessed person
- egotistSelf-absorbed person
- swaggererBoastful, showy person
self-important · conceited · arrogant · vainglorious · pompous · smug · haughty · boastful
Manipulative populist leader
- populistAdvocate for ordinary citizens
- rabble-rouserOne who stirs dissent
- soapboxPlatform for haranguing
- filibusterDelaying tactic through speech
pandering · crowd-pleaser · speechifying · posturing · rhetoric · bloviating · electioneering · showboating
Exaggeratedly emotional in expression
- theatricalExaggeratedly emotional for effect
- histrionicExaggeratedly emotional in behavior
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
- overactingExcessive theatrical performance
exaggeration · hyperbole · bombastic · grandiloquent · dramatic · emphatic · stagy · fervent
show-off
One who flaunts
exhibitionist · attention-seeker · self-promoter · headline-grabber · scene-stealer · poseur · strutter · flashy · brash · cocky
braggart
One who flaunts achievements
- boasterOne who brags
- narcissistSelf-obsessed person
- egotistSelf-absorbed person
swaggerer · self-important · conceited · arrogant · vainglorious · pompous · smug · haughty · boastful · self-centered
demagogue
Manipulative populist leader
- populistAdvocate for ordinary citizens
- rabble-rouserOne who stirs dissent
- soapboxPlatform for haranguing
filibuster · pandering · crowd-pleaser · speechifying · posturing · rhetoric · bloviating · electioneering · showboating · photo-op
melodramatic
Exaggeratedly emotional in expression
- theatricalExaggeratedly emotional for effect
- histrionicExaggeratedly emotional in behavior
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
overacting · exaggeration · hyperbole · bombastic · grandiloquent · dramatic · emphatic · stagy · fervent · emotive
- showoffsshowoff, show-off, braggart, bragger, boaster
- talkerstalker, chatterbox, motormouth, motor-mouth, loudmouth
- windbagswindbag, blowhard, gasbag, bloviator, pontificator
- snobssnob, elitist, snoot, prig, highbrow
- spotlightspotlight, center stage, limelight, main attraction, star attraction
- fraudscharlatan, faker, imposter, impostor, phony
grandstanderwallflower
Shy person avoiding socializing
shrinking violet · introvert · recluse · unsung hero · anonymous donor
grandstanderunsung hero
One whose contributions go unnoticed
doer · workhorse · team player · genuine article · straight shooter
- grandstand playOstentatious attention-seeking act
- grandstand finishExciting conclusion, narrow margin