affected; artificial; pretentious
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesadjective
affected; artificial; pretentious; unnatural in manner
derogatoryDescribes behavior, speech, or artistic expression that appears forced, insincere, or overly dramatic. Often carries a critical or negative connotation. In the idiom 矫揉造作, the second character is traditionally read with a full fourth tone (zuò), but when used as an independent adjective synonymous with 做作, it is commonly read with a neutral tone (zuo).
Jiǎo矫
róu揉
zào造
zuo作
Affected and artificial; deliberately ornate.
Tā他
de的
biǎo表
yǎn演
tài太
zào造
zuo作
，
quē缺
fá乏
zhēn真
shí实
gǎn感
。
His performance was too affected and lacked authenticity.
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Zhè这
piān篇
wén文
zhāng章
yòng用
cí词
zào造
zuo作
，
dú读
qǐ起
lái来
hěn很
biè别
niu扭
。
The wording in this article is pretentious, making it awkward to read.
Tā她
shuō说
huà话
hěn很
zào造
zuo作
，
zǒng总
shì是
gù故
yì意
diǎ嗲
shēng声
diǎ嗲
qì气
de的
。
She speaks in an affected way, always deliberately putting on a cutesy voice.