masquerade
Disguised party gathering
A masquerade is a party or ball where guests wear masks and costumes, concealing their identities.
The word extends to any pretense or disguise: His friendliness was just a masquerade.
To masquerade is to pose as something you're not: He masqueraded as a doctor for years before being caught.
Long formal garment
- ballgownFormal full-length dress
- tuxedoMen's formal evening attire
- capeShouldered sleeveless wrap
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
velvet · satin · lace · domino · headdress · tiara · gloves · sequins
Absurd or obvious pretense
- pretenseDeceptive outward show
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- shamFraudulent imitation
- ruseDeliberate act of deception
subterfuge · duplicity · imposture · guile · fraud · hoax · trickery · artifice
With identity concealed
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- anonymityUnknown identity state
- aliasAdopted false name
- impersonationPretending to be another
hidden identity · cover · veil · unrecognizable · cloak · guise · secret identity · undercover
Festive formal occasion
- soireeFormal evening party
- ballroomVenue for formal dances
- waltzDance in three-quarter time
- gownsElegant full-length dresses
tuxedos · invitation · dancefloor · champagne · orchestra · candelabra · minuet · quadrille
Insincere behavior for effect
- feigningPretending to feel something
- affectationArtificial behavior for effect
- insincerityLack of genuine feeling
- hypocrisyPretense of virtue
simulation · bluff · pose · acting · false front · put-on · fakery · phony
gown
Long formal garment
feathers · velvet · satin · lace · domino · headdress · tiara · gloves · sequins · beads
charade
Absurd or obvious pretense
ruse · subterfuge · duplicity · imposture · guile · fraud · hoax · trickery · artifice · feint
incognito
With identity concealed
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- anonymityUnknown identity state
- aliasAdopted false name
impersonation · hidden identity · cover · veil · unrecognizable · cloak · guise · secret identity · undercover · persona
gala
Festive formal occasion
gowns · tuxedos · invitation · dancefloor · champagne · orchestra · candelabra · minuet · quadrille · cotillion
posturing
Insincere behavior for effect
- feigningPretending to feel something
- affectationArtificial behavior for effect
- insincerityLack of genuine feeling
hypocrisy · simulation · bluff · pose · acting · false front · put-on · fakery · phony · playacting
- African traditionsinitiation ceremonies, naming ceremony, ancestral worship, rites of passage, tribal chiefs
- Court Entertainmentjesters, jester, court jester, court fool, fools
- Victorian entertainmentvaudeville, music hall, minstrel show, pantomime, melodrama
- Igbo traditionChi, ancestors, ancestral spirits, spirit world, sacred grove
- celebrationsgraduation, festival, party, wedding, fireworks
- Halloweenjack-o-lantern, trick or treating, haunted mansion, pumpkin, trick-or-treat
masqueradereveal
Make something visible
unmask · expose · disclosure · unveiling · bare
masqueradegenuineness
Quality of being real
authenticity · sincerity · realness · truthfulness · artlessness
- masquerade ballFormal dance with disguises
- masquerade maskFestive facial disguise
masquerader, masquerades, masqueraded, masquerading, masqueraders