exhibitionism

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃəˌnɪzəm/ UK /ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃənɪzəm/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the tendency to display oneself or behave so as to attract attention

His constant boasting verged on sheer exhibitionism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the tendency to display... showing-offostentationflamboyancegrandstandingdisplayshowmanship

Opposites

modesty reserve reticence self-effacement

Word family

Derived forms exhibitionist exhibitionistic

Related forms exhibit exhibition exhibitor

Etymology

From exhibition + -ism, from Latin exhibitio, from exhibere ('to hold forth, present'), from ex- ('out') + habere ('to hold, have').

exhibere Latin habere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives

# exhibitionism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃəˌnɪzəm
**IPA (UK):** ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃənɪzəm

## Meanings
1. the tendency to display oneself or behave so as to attract attention

## Examples
- His constant boasting verged on sheer exhibitionism.

## Synonyms
- showing-off
- ostentation
- flamboyance
- grandstanding
- display
- showmanship

## Antonyms
- modesty
- reserve
- reticence
- self-effacement

## Derived Forms
- exhibitionist
- exhibitionistic

## Related Forms
- exhibit
- exhibition
- exhibitor

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exhibere
- Root: habere

## Etymology
From exhibition + -ism, from Latin exhibitio, from exhibere ('to hold forth, present'), from ex- ('out') + habere ('to hold, have').

## AI Etymology
Exhibitionism comes from exhibition + -ism, from Latin exhibitio, from exhibere ('to hold forth, present'), from ex- ('out') + habere ('to hold, have'). Morphologically, the account is both compositional and suffixal: ex- and -ism marks the visible structure by which the older base becomes the modern form. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "the tendency to display oneself or behave so as to attract attention", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as exhibitionist and exhibitionistic and related forms such as exhibit, exhibition, and exhibitor, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin exhibere and Latin habere, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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