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

The cause requires a youth to "stalk, and bustle, and attitudinize;" and he clearly thinks this is all the youth before him wants to do, whether conscious of the fact or not.

From A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.) by Mrs. Sutherland Orr

A bird seldom sings when watched, and Nature is no coquette, and will not ogle and attitudinize when stared at.

From Our Friend John Burroughs by Clara Barrus

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

From Birds and Bees, Sharp Eyes and Other Papers by John Burroughs

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 — Complete 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

He was soon landed by the stalwart Martha and Alec, and, while he attitudinized for draining, the Professor amused himself with taking an instantaneous photograph.

From Lippincott's Magazine, August, 1885 by Various

He received occasional assistance from his companions, who struck up choruses or attitudinized with mirthful effect.

From The Man with the Book or, The Bible Among the People. by John Matthias Weylland

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

There seems to me to be too much of the blown lock and the wistful glance, too much of the attitudinized poet, lacking, I may even say, in true refinement, often.

From Adventures in the Arts Informal Chapters on Painters, Vaudeville, and Poets by Marsden Hartley

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

But the surprise of “Randy Newman’s Faust” was how consistently the songs revealed the sincere feeling beneath Mr. Newman’s wiseguy attitudinizing.

From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2014

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

In every line that he wrote Cicero was attitudinizing for posterity, or reflecting on the effect of his conduct upon his interests or his reputation.

From Caesar: a Sketch by James Anthony Froude