虚飾(きょしょく)

きょしょく
noun
vanity; ostentation; false show
formalabstract
1. vanity; ostentation; false show; pretense
Outward display or embellishment that lacks substance; putting on a showy front to conceal the reality underneath.
虚飾(きょしょく)を捨(す)てる。
To cast off pretense.
虚飾(きょしょく)のない生(い)き方(かた)がしたい。
I want to live without pretense.
虚飾(きょしょく)に満(み)ちた社会(しゃかい)に疲(つか)れて、田舎(いなか)に引(ひ)っ越(こ)した。
Tired of a society full of false show, I moved to the countryside.

A compound of 虚(きょ) (empty, vain) and 飾(しょく) (decoration, adornment). Describes the negative quality of ornamenting or embellishing to hide a lack of substance. Often used in literary and critical contexts.

Usage

Frequently appears in the negative — 虚飾(きょしょく)のない (without pretense) and 虚飾(きょしょく)を排(はい)する (to reject ostentation) — to praise honesty and simplicity.

Common collocations

  • 虚飾(きょしょく)を捨(す)てる — to cast off pretense
  • 虚飾(きょしょく)のない — without pretense, honest
  • 虚飾(きょしょく)に満(み)ちた — full of false show
  • 虚飾(きょしょく)を排(はい)する — to reject ostentation

Similar words

  • 見栄(みえ) — vanity, showing off; more everyday and personal, while 虚飾(きょしょく) is broader and more literary
  • 虚栄(きょえい) — vanity; focuses on the desire for admiration, while 虚飾(きょしょく) emphasizes the outward display itself

Related Words

Compare: 見栄(みえ) (vanity, showing off)
Compare: 虚栄(きょえい) (vanity)
general
Added 2026.3.26 16:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
19500/19605_kyoshoku