name-dropping
Citing famous acquaintances
Name-dropping is mentioning famous or important people you know (or claim to know) to impress others.
The practice suggests social climbing or insecurity: His constant name-dropping about Hollywood producers got tiresome.
Someone who does this is a name-dropper.
The verb is name-drop: She name-dropped three senators in the first five minutes.
Excessive self-praise
- showoffOne who flaunts abilities
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
- swaggerConfident, boastful manner
- ostentationVulgar flaunting of means
pompous · conceit · self-importance · grandstanding · smugness · arrogance · haughtiness · pretension
Informal power or punch
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- connectionsRelationships between things
- pullForce toward oneself
weight · standing · reach · currency · credibility · endorsement · association · affiliation
Casual strategic socializing
- minglingCasual social interaction
- socializingEngaging with others recreationally
- introductionsInitial formal presentations
- contactsPeople you know professionally
associates · glad-handing · circulating · mixers · receptions · after-parties
Reputation commanding admiration
- exclusivityState of being limited
- eliteSuperior select group
- upper-crustSocial elite class
- VIPNotable, for short
A-lister · insider · privilege · pedigree · aspirational · cachet · connected · well-connected
Directing attention elsewhere
- anecdoteBrief account of incident
- namedropMention famous acquaintances
- alludeRefer indirectly
- invokeCall upon formally
cite · acquaintance · encounter · story · reminisce
Widely known, much recognized
- starLuminous astronomical object
- notableWorthy of attention
- entertainerOne who amuses others
- actorOne who portrays characters
mogul · influencer · personality · superstar · icon · luminary · recognizable · newsworthy
boasting
Excessive self-praise
ostentation · pompous · conceit · self-importance · grandstanding · smugness · arrogance · haughtiness · pretension · humble-brag
clout
Informal power or punch
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- connectionsRelationships between things
pull · weight · standing · reach · currency · credibility · endorsement · association · affiliation · backing
schmoozing
Casual strategic socializing
- minglingCasual social interaction
- socializingEngaging with others recreationally
- introductionsInitial formal presentations
contacts · associates · glad-handing · circulating · mixers · receptions · after-parties
prestige
Reputation commanding admiration
- exclusivityState of being limited
- eliteSuperior select group
- upper-crustSocial elite class
VIP · A-lister · insider · privilege · pedigree · aspirational · cachet · connected · well-connected · in-crowd
reference
Directing attention elsewhere
invoke · cite · acquaintance · encounter · story · reminisce
famous
Widely known, much recognized
- starLuminous astronomical object
- notableWorthy of attention
- entertainerOne who amuses others
actor · mogul · influencer · personality · superstar · icon · luminary · recognizable · newsworthy · tabloid
- showing offboasting, bragged, show off, bragging, boasted
- slang behaviorsgoofing off, messing around, fooling around, horsing around, slacking
- pretentiousnesspretentious, pretentiousness, pretension, pompous, pomposity
- Affected Speechaffectation, airs, pretentiousness, posh accent, overenunciation
- schmoozingschmooze, schmoozing, hobnobbing, glad-handing, mingling
- behaviorshabit, aggressive, agitation, conduct, passive
name-droppinghumility
Freedom from arrogance
modesty · self-effacement · unpretentiousness · false modesty · humble
name-droppingsincerity
Honest, unfeigned genuineness
genuineness · authenticity · straight talk · straightforwardness
name-droppingdiscretion
Careful judgment in speech
keeping quiet · privacy · tactfulness · confidentiality · saying nothing
drop, dropped, drops, dropping, dropper, droppers, name-dropper, name-drop