Meanings
present singular third person puts on airs · participle present putting on airs
- idiomaticTo become haughty, to assume a pretentious manner.
"Now what if I talked white-folks’ talk at church, and with my neighbors? They’d think I was puttin‘ on airs to beat Moses."
1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC1 more example
Even Timothy, the jointed wooden lion, who was made by the disabled soldiers, and should have had broader views, put on airs and pretended he was connected with Government.
1921 June, Margery Williams, “The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real”, in Harper’s Bazar, volume LVI, number 6 (2504 overall), New York, N.Y.: International Magazine Company, →ISSN, →OCLCSynonyms: give oneself airs
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo become haughty, to assume a pretentious manner.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek ἀβρύνομαι
- ἀβρύνομαι (abrúnomai)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
Chinese Mandarin 擺架子 /摆架子, 擺譜兒 /摆谱儿
- 擺架子 /摆架子 (bǎijiàzi)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
- 擺譜兒 /摆谱儿 (bǎipǔr)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
- 拿大 (nádà)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
Esperanto afekti
- afektibecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Finnish mahtailla
- mahtaillabecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
French se donner des airs, prendre des airs
- se donner des airsbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- prendre des airsbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
German sich aufspielen
- sich aufspielenbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Hungarian felvág, affektál
- felvágbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- affektálbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- megjátssza magátbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Icelandic gera sig merkilegan, setja upp hátíðarsvip
- gera sig merkileganbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- setja upp hátíðarsvipbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- snúa upp á sigbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Italian darsi delle arie
- darsi delle ariebecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Japanese 体裁振る, 見栄をはる
- 体裁振る (teisai-buru)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
- 見栄をはる (mie-o haru)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
Malay berhidung tinggi
- berhidung tinggibecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Polish pysznić się, zadzierać nosa
- pysznić siębecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- zadzierać nosabecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- zadrzeć nosabecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- gwiazdorzyćbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- aktorzyćbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Portuguese empinar o nariz, erguer o nariz
- empinar o narizbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- erguer o narizbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Russian ва́жничать
- ва́жничать (vážničatʹ)become haughty, assume a haughty manner
Spanish darse aires, darse tono
- darse airesbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- darse tonobecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- hacer el paripébecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Swedish göra sig märkvärdig, göra sig till
- göra sig märkvärdigbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
- göra sig tillbecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Tagalog magmaganda
- magmagandabecome haughty, assume a haughty manner
Cite this entry
put on airs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20airs
“put on airs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20airs. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put on airs,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20on%20airs.
Source: put on airs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.