affectation: Meaning and Definition of

af•fec•ta•tion

Pronunciation: (af"ek-tā'shun), [key]
— n.
  1. an effort to appear to have a quality not really or fully possessed; the pretense of actual possession: an affectation of interest in art; affectation of great wealth.
  2. conspicuous artificiality of manner or appearance; effort to attract notice by pretense, assumption, or any assumed peculiarity.
  3. a trait, action, or expression characterized by such artificiality: a man of a thousand affectations.
  4. his affectation of literature.
    1. strenuous pursuit, desire, or aspiration.
    2. affection; fondness:his affectation of literature.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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