putting on airs
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"So I sound a bit like I have pretences, putting on airs for a while. It's abysmal for a while," she laughed.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2025
Padma compliments her in that kind, earnest way that always tells you when Padma is being empathetic and genuine, not putting on airs.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2023
A titanic collection of club music, it has an almost gravitational urgency, emphasizing the primal pull of the dance floor, where putting on airs is not an option.
From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022
Other favorites included “Mad About You” and “Keeping Up Appearances,” the British comedy about a middle-class woman putting on airs: “I was, like, a redneck just aspiring to be PBS.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2021
This was the Ruth I wasn’t pleased with, the one I could see every day putting on airs and pretending—the Ruth who did the slap-on-the-elbow gesture.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
