1
as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
he allowed himself to dine at fine restaurants all over the world under the guise of research for his book on international cuisine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in costume
clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation
she felt as though she should be wearing some sort of Germanic guise, complete with dirndl, for the fall festival featuring traditional German food and drink
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3
as in mask
clothing put on to hide one's true identity or imitate someone or something else
he sneaked into the castle to rescue Ivanhoe in the guise of a priest coming to give Ivanhoe his last rites
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4
as in appearance
outward and often deceptive indication
hazing rituals may have the guise of harmless fun, but often the reality is serious physical abuse
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of guise
Later, Pennywise takes on the guise of the man in order to scare Eddie.
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Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
But also, our community has a problem with law-abiding citizens being incarcerated under the guise that this is effective violence [prevention].
—Dorothy Tucker, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025
What is developing now may well turn out to be a defeat for MPS, wearing the guise of a victory for charter opponents and especially for the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association.
—Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 28 Nov. 2025
In this guise, Saverino is breathless with excitement.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guise
Noun
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This week’s truncating of the schedule removed whatever pretense remained that Kennedy’s HHS would respect the scientific process for making decisions about vaccines even when that process was dominated by allies who had already taken action to roll back recommendations.—
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But gone are the days when those books were displayed to show off the intellect and interests of their owners — and with it, the pretense, at least, that their owners had read them.—
Noun
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The mascot is best known for his signature catch phrase and outrageous costume featuring a red cape, sunglasses and a belt decorated with Duff beer cans.—
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The star also shared an adorable photo of the family’s matching Halloween costume, sharing an image of her, Luai, and Shammas wearing Batman costumes with masks and capes.—
Noun
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The star also shared an adorable photo of the family’s matching Halloween costume, sharing an image of her, Luai, and Shammas wearing Batman costumes with masks and capes.—
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New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, issued early stay-at-home orders, imposed one of the first statewide mask mandates, and discouraged in-person church services.—
Noun
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Carter continued to act into the early 2020s with appearances in Stumptown, Fake Friends and the TV series Dave.—
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In fact, his seven playoff victories are the most ever for a QB without even a Super Bowl appearance.—
Noun
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So, try the spread at Trinquet, a cozy restaurant in the Old Town, the historic center where some facades date back to the medieval period.—
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City staff is recommending that signage should be limited to one per façade for a total of four wall signs, city officials wrote in a planning report.—
Noun
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Mangione wore prison garb to the hearing — his first time back in federal court since his arraignment last year — and his hands were not in handcuffs during the proceedings.—
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Mom is loving, though capable of doling out her affection in both tough and nurturing ways, and owns more than one piece of Lululemon garb.—
Noun
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Right after the holidays, the tween posted TikTok videos of her wearing the statement necklace with a blue camouflage jacket, black pleated skirt and a bright blue wig.—
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But hemagglutinin isn't just protein; the protein becomes partly covered in sugar molecules borrowed from the host cell (known as glycosylation), which act as a type of camouflage for the virus.—
Noun
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Smith’s face, with the smoke-black eyes and hair of his Cherokee mother, seemed to beg for sympathy.—
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This soft, face-framing texture is key to the in-between cut's appeal.—
Cite this Entry
“Guise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guise. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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