Englishacting
noun
1 she studied the theory and practice of acting:
drama, the theater, the stage, the performing arts, dramatic art, dramatics, dramaturgy, stagecraft, theatricals, theatrics, the thespian art, show business;
performing, performance, portraying, portrayal, playing a role, appearing on stage;
informal the boards, treading the boards, show biz;
rare thespianism, histrionics.
2 if the Security Council is prevented from acting, a coalition will be formed:
taking action, taking steps, taking measures, doing something, moving, making a move, reacting, functioning, working, performing.
3 he looks angry but we know it's all just acting:
pretending, pretense, playacting, make-believe, illusion, masquerade, feigning, shamming, hoaxing, bluffing, posture, posturing, posing, affectation, counterfeit, subterfuge, dissimulation, dissemblance, falsification, humbug;
sham, hoax, bluff, show, front, facade, charade, guise, pose;
British false colours;
informal a put-on, a put-up job.
adjective
the acting governor of the bank:
substitute, deputy, reserve, fill-in, stand-in, caretaker;
temporary, short-term, provisional, interim, intervening, pro tem, improvised, surrogate, stopgap, transitional, changeover;
Latin pro tempore, ad interim;
informal second-string;
North American, informal pinch-hitting.
▷antonyms permanent.