1
as in facades
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in costumes
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
3
as in masks
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
4
as in appearances
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
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Recent Examples of guises
Populism in all its guises surfaces problems but rarely solves them.
—
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Bad actors can take on all kinds of guises—including pretending to be lawyers.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Bad actors can take on all kinds of guises—including pretending to be lawyers.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guises
Noun
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Because authenticity weighs less than facades.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Street art from Latino/a and Indigenous painters covers more and more facades every day.—
Lizbeth Scordo,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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DiMeo said the business relies a lot on customers wearing the costumes on the slopes to entice sales.—
Max Scheinblum,
Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2026
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After the Olympics, Cantini Parrini will focus on the costumes for a new TV series by Italian director Gabriele Muccino that will center on the relationship between the late Maurizio Gucci and Patrizia Reggiani.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In this episode, these two really take their masks off and can really be honest with each other for that one scene, and then after that, the mask goes straight back up.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Every guest room has found its inspiration in a different Asian or African country—the Mali room, for example, is furnished with rich mud cloths, cut-brass lamps, gleaming raw-silk curtains, and wooden masks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There were also special appearances by notable Latino and Latina figures such as Toñita, the owner of Caribbean Social Club in New York.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
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Mohammadi still kept up her activism with public protests and international media appearances, including even demonstrating at one point in front of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where she had been held.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Johnson eventually pleaded no contest to three counts of false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There will also be cover-ups, beach button downs, beach shorts and midi dresses.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Rocorose Turtleneck Ribbed Knit Sweater Dress Sweater dresses aren’t reserved just for winter.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Coach Mike Macdonald is also a master at dialing up disguises and should be able to do so against a Patriots line that can be susceptible.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
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They were allegedly sent from California with $1,000 to purchase supplies for disguises, restraints and burglary tools.—
Louis Casiano , Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The greatest reward of his job, White said, is seeing the moments of awe and wonder on guests’ faces after the involved 18-month process of concept, pre-production and production finally lands on a stage.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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The charges Redzepagic faces expose him to a total of 375 years in prison, authorities noted.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Guises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guises. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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