put-on

“Ridiculous” is C.K.’s way of letting the world know, with put-on humility, that when you brush aside his Teflon-coated fame and elder statesman standing, the 58-year-old star is really just old and exhausted.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

Mr. Stoll projects a slick self-confidence that seems slightly put-on, a hard crust over a more complicated personality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

But he writes with sensitivity too, from painterly depictions of the Palm Desert and Salton Sea to riffs on the Talmud that suggest Cohen’s faith isn’t entirely a put-on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2023

He described the unorthodox and at times controversial comedian Andy Kaufman as “the pre-eminent put-on artist of his generation” and “a pioneering practitioner of various cultural trends long before they ever became trends.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2023

His voice was poshish but not as posh as Mum's put-on posh.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

At the time, resale brought to mind old, dusty clothes in the back of a closet and rummaging through thrift store racks just to put on someone else’s shoes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

To secretly persuade his young students to put on a musical about the horrors of 9/11 and its aftermath that’s certain to cause controversy and get the principal in trouble.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

I wrote back: “I am extremely put off by the fakery of this whole exercise, and I question the ethics of a professor’s allowing his name to be put on a ghostwritten piece.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

They put on 128 after debutant Aneurin Donald made 12.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

I know she’s trying to put on a brave face.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold