airs and graces
/ˌɛɚz‿n̩ ˈɡɹeɪsɪz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.96 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Behaviour adopted to demonstrate (originally) one's good upbringing; or (now) one's superiority; pretentious or snobbish behaviour.
Derogatory
Example Sentences
- "He made a thouſand uggly Faces, / VVhich (as ſometimes in Ladies caſes) / VVere all deſign'd for Airs and Graces."
- "Nature has laid out all her airt in beautifying the face; […] giving it airs and graces that cannot be described, and surrounded it with such a flowing shade of hair as sets all its beauties in the most agreeable light."
- "Indeed, she rehearsed that exalted part in life with great satisfaction to herself, and to the amusement of old Sir Pitt, who chuckled at her airs and graces, and would laugh by the hour together at her assumptions of dignity and imitations of genteel life."
- "The station (1840) was originally Cheltenham but the more grandiose Cheltenham Spa since 1925, which feels a bit pretentious as the town has never allowed itself to assume such airs and graces."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɛɚz‿n̩ ˈɡɹeɪsɪz/
- British English: /ˌɛəz‿n̩ ˈɡɹeɪsɪz/