attitudinize

To be a "conteur," to figure in "proverbs," to attitudinize, to produce a "sensation"—all these are purposes of ambition in foreign circles.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 54, No. 333, July 1843 by Various

When I went in it seemed to me that he was inclined to attitudinize in the orthodox pose of a statesman, and I felt that he was not himself.

From Forty Years of 'Spy' by Leslie Ward

A jay would alight in the entrance of the hole, and flirt and peer and attitudinize, and then fly away crying "Thief, thief, thief," at the top of his voice.

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 7 by Charles Dudley Warner

He was compelled the while to attitudinize incessantly as a genius.

From Art in England Notes and Studies by Dutton Cook

One of the rare women who never pout or attitudinize, she could fling her glove gracefully— one might add, capturingly under every aspect, she was a handsome belligerent.

From The Amazing Marriage — Volume 5 by George Meredith

While two yellow-robed girls stood sentry-like at each side of the chancel, Miss Schirmer postured, gestured and attitudinized.

From Time Magazine Archive

Fountains that tossed up coloratura bubbles of sheerest aria and a sort of Greek frieze of youth attitudinized toward herself.

From Star-Dust by Fannie Hurst

He was a languid, good-looking youth of three-and-twenty, who assumed blasé airs and attitudinized for their benefit.

From Shawl-Straps A Second Series of Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag by Louisa May Alcott

So Charlie attitudinized unnoticed and was getting rather out of temper when Phebe began to sing, and he forgot all about himself in admiration of her.

From Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott

Turning and smiling over her shoulder, she bent and swayed and attitudinized.

From Maida's Little Shop by Inez Haynes Gillmore

With deft tonal shifts and acrobatic attitudinizing, Pinchot charges in at a pace rather fast for audiobook narration, but perfectly matching Kidd’s hyperkinetic prose.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2022

Dixon’s direction of the white actors’ performances exposes the dual meaning of the term “bad actors”: the officials’ fat-cat presumptions and facile attitudinizing are mocked in the characters’ exaggerated B-movie cadences.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 20, 2018

“All we get is fatuous attitudinizing about how ambition, success and money always lead to rack and ruin,” Mr. Rich wrote.

From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2012

It's not a Jerry Bruckheimer action-adventure movie but a European art-house film, with its emphasis on attitudinizing, sullen tempers and long takes of people scurrying to get nowhere.

From Time ● Jul. 10, 2010

She did broach the subject to Zoe one evening, who, with her head wrapped in a brilliant fez improvised out of an old cushion top, stood before the mirror, attitudinizing her part in school entertainment.

From Star-Dust by Fannie Hurst