📖 Definitions of "Preening"
verb
- 1
To pin; fasten.
verb
- 1
(of birds) To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers.
- 2
To show off, posture, or smarm.
- 3
To trim up, as trees.
noun
- 1
A grooming or posturing.
💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Preening"
Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| dressverb | (transitive) (also reflexive and figuratively) To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. |
| primpverb | (intransitive) To spend time improving one's appearance, often in front of a mirror. |
| plumeverb | (transitive, also figurative) To adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes, or as if with feathers or plumes. |
| congratulateverb | To express one’s sympathetic pleasure or joy to the person(s) it is felt for |
| prideverb | A sense of one's own worth; reasonable self-esteem and satisfaction (in oneself, in one's work, one's family, etc). |
| peacockingnoun | (seduction community) Ostentatious dress or behaviour employed by a man in an attempt to impress women. |
| groomingnoun | Care for one's personal appearance, hygiene, and clothing. |
| prettificationnoun | (colloquial) The act of making someone or something pretty. |
| deportmentnoun | Conduct; public behavior. |
| airs and gracesnoun | (derogatory) Behaviour adopted to demonstrate (originally) one's good upbringing; or (now) one's superiority; pretentious or snobbish behaviour. |
| priggerynoun | Priggishness. |
| pamperingnoun | The act by which somebody is pampered. |
| urbanitynoun | Behaviour that is polished, refined, courteous. |
| plumagenoun | (ornithology, collective noun) Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering. |
| self-promotionnoun | The purposeful act of presenting oneself to others in a favorable way, often viewed by others negatively as forceful, exaggerated, or self-indulgent. |
| bedizeningverb | (also figurative) To dress or ornament (someone or something), especially in a gaudy, showy, or tasteless manner. |
| bearingnoun | (in the plural, especially in phrases such as 'get one's bearings') One's understanding of one's orientation or relative position, literally or figuratively. |
| hoity-toitynoun | Affected or pretentious, sometimes with the implication of displaying an air of excessive fanciness or ostentation; pompous, self-important, snobbish; often displaying a feeling of patronizing self-aggrandizing or arrogant class superiority. |
| finessingnoun | The act of handling something with care or skill. |
| finerynoun | (countable) Ornament; decoration; especially, excessive decoration; showy clothes; jewels. |
⚡ Words Strongly Associated with "Preening"
These words statistically appear in the same text as "preening" (Google Books Ngrams).
🎨 Adjectives for "Preening"
Popular adjectives used to describe this word in books.
🏷️ Nouns for "Preening"
Common nouns this word is used to describe.
📝 Common Phrases with "Preening"
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