Etymology and Definitions
The English term poseur is a loanword from French, in which it is used figuratively since the mid-19th century with the same meaning as in English to refer to people who "affect an attitude or pose". Etymonline, an online etymology dictionary, argues that since the "word is Eng. poser in Fr. garb", the term itself could thus "be considered an affectation".
Dictionary.com says the word refers to "a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not". The Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that the term was also used to refer to a "person who pretends to be what he or she is not" or an "insincere person". The Encarta dictionary states that the term is used to describe a "pretentious person" or "somebody who tries to impress others by behaving in an affected way". The Cambridge Dictionary defines a "poseur" as "someone who pretends to be something they are not, or to have qualities that they do not have".
Many individuals misspell the word as poser, which by Merriam-Webster's definition is either "a puzzling or baffling question" or "a person who poses" as if for a portrait.
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