keep up appearances

verb

To artificially maintain an outward sign of normality; to maintain an appearance of wealth, comfort, or propriety.

“With tact and management it would be possible to partially satisfy creditors, and keep up appearances for six months more.”

Similar
maintain appearancessave appearances
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Meanings

verbkeep up appearances (third-person singular simple present keeps up appearances, present participle keeping up appearances, simple past and past participle kept up appearances)

present singular third person keeps up appearances · participle present keeping up appearances · participle past kept up appearances · past kept up appearances

  1. idiomaticTo artificially maintain an outward sign of normality; to maintain an appearance of wealth, comfort, or propriety.

    With tact and management it would be possible to partially satisfy creditors, and keep up appearances for six months more.

    1 more example

    For my father's sake, I thought I must keep up appearances, but the food stuck in my throat, and I could not swallow another mouthful.

    Synonyms: maintain appearances, save appearances

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo artificially maintain an outward sign of normality; to maintain an appearance of wealth, comfort, or propriety.

Similar
maintain appearancessave appearances
Also see
maintain appearancessave appearances

Translations

Dutch de schijn ophouden
  • de schijn ophoudenpretend to be all right
Finnish pitää yllä kulissia
  • pitää yllä kulissiapretend to be all right
French sauver les apparences
  • sauver les apparencespretend to be all right
German den Schein wahren
  • den Schein wahrenpretend to be all right
Hungarian fenntartja a látszatot
  • fenntartja a látszatotpretend to be all right
Italian salvare le apparenze
  • salvare le apparenzepretend to be all right
Japanese 取り繕う
  • 取り繕う (toritsukurou)pretend to be all right
Polish zachowywać pozory, zachować pozory
  • zachowywać pozorypretend to be all right
  • zachować pozorypretend to be all right
Russian де́лать хоро́шую ми́ну при плохо́й игре́, сохраня́ть хоро́шую ми́ну при плохо́й игре́
  • де́лать хоро́шую ми́ну при плохо́й игре́ (délatʹ xoróšuju mínu pri ploxój igré)pretend to be all right
  • сохраня́ть хоро́шую ми́ну при плохо́й игре́ (soxranjátʹ xoróšuju mínu pri ploxój igré)pretend to be all right
  • держа́ть хоро́шую ми́ну при плохо́й игре́ (deržátʹ xoróšuju mínu pri ploxój igré)pretend to be all right
Spanish mantener/guardar/cubrir/cuidar/salvar las apariencias
  • mantener/guardar/cubrir/cuidar/salvar las aparienciaspretend to be all right
Swedish hålla skenet uppe
  • hålla skenet uppepretend to be all right
Cite this entry
APA

keep up appearances. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20up%20appearances

MLA

“keep up appearances.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20up%20appearances. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “keep up appearances,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20up%20appearances.

Source: keep up appearances on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.