GUISE Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

guise

noun

ˈgīz

Definition of guise

as in pretense

a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive he allowed himself to dine at fine restaurants all over the world under the guise of research for his book on international cuisine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in costume

clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation she felt as though she should be wearing some sort of Germanic guise, complete with dirndl, for the fall festival featuring traditional German food and drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in mask

clothing put on to hide one's true identity or imitate someone or something else he sneaked into the castle to rescue Ivanhoe in the guise of a priest coming to give Ivanhoe his last rites

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in appearance

outward and often deceptive indication hazing rituals may have the guise of harmless fun, but often the reality is serious physical abuse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of guise With their traditional, legacy rivals — the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — in various guises of transition, Arsenal are suddenly the team to beat and the Emirates is suddenly a library of sound; noise please. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Volkswagen refers to the Cruise as a concept, but perhaps it will be shown in near-production guise. — New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026 Somewhere between a sandal and a ballet flat, caged silhouettes come in all manner of guises. — Sarah Leigh Bannerman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026 Everything from the division of the Peaches and the Plums to Shamea’s tagline this season is a secret cry from Shamea to Porsha, begging for attention under the guise of her own emancipation. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for guise

Recent Examples of Synonyms for guise

Noun

The application moves away from last-minute stress, unwanted items, and polite pretense, establishing a modern channel for intentional giving.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
And the idea that yakuza were on the side of the common man was rarely anything more than a pretense.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of pretense

Noun

There’s also a collection of original costumes, weapons, props and production artifacts from across Villeneuve’s trilogy, including a full-scale ornithopter used in the films.

— Anna Tingley, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
The evening, co-hosted by Vanity Fair, marked a continuation in the film’s already lengthy journey, with a suitably ambitious exhibition pulling back the curtain on costumes, puppets, props and diminutive sets.

— Bridget Arsenault, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of costume

Noun

Police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back people wearing hoods and masks and throwing fireworks, paving stones and other objects at officers in the Place de la République, northeast of the Paris city center.

— SYLVIE CORBET, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
In the southern port city of Marseille, some protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall and a group of people wearing hoods and masks damaged a police station.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of mask

Noun

Maintenance may fix a loose step, or normal foot traffic can change the appearance of an outdoor area.

— Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Michael Forest, the strapping actor who starred in Beast From Haunted Cave and other B-pictures for Roger Corman and made memorable guest-star appearances on classic episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show and Star Trek, has died.

— Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of appearance

Noun

Underneath that façade was a sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.

— Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Starting in 2027, the Plaza Hotel will embark on a four-year-long renovation of its marble façade.

— Timothy Latterner, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of facade

Noun

Young men in mismatched military garb and sportswear stood by the gate with Kalashnikovs.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Some fans emerged from the subway in their discreet office garb, only to swiftly pull on a bright-orange jersey bearing their favorite player’s name or a Knicks cape upon arrival.

— Christian Allaire, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of garb

Noun

American soldiers gather at a border monitoring post in Roma, Texas, where an infantry vehicle with camouflage netting sits between houses.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Under-eye correctors (aka concealers with a peachy or orange hue) effectively neutralize and camouflage blue undertones that often show through the thin skin area.

— Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of camouflage

Noun

This one was carved from a block of limestone and features a slender face with a long nose and a tiny, smiling mouth.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
As always, Howerton is the cast MVP, with his elastic, expressive face selling all of probable-serial killer Dennis’s most hyperbolic reactions.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of face

Browse Nearby Words

guilty

guise

guises

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Guise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guise. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of guise

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes