masquerade noun (PARTY) (also masquerade ball, masquerade party) a party or dance where people wear masks (= coverings over part or all of the face) or other disguises (= clothes that hide who you are or make you look like someone else):
- a festive gathering of people wearing masks and costumes. 2. a costume worn at such a gathering. 3. false outward show; pretense. 4. to represent oneself falsely. 5. to disguise oneself. 6. to take part in a masquerade. mas`quer ad′er, n.
Masquerade balls began in medieval Europe and often took place during the carnival season. It was particularly popular with the not so affluent class. Participants often wore masks and well-designed, colored costumes to the event.
Dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, the Masquerade Ball began as part of Europe’s carnival season. Less high society and more cirque du célébration, villagers would gather in masks and costumes to take part in elaborate pageants and glamorous processions.
A masquerade ball is an elegant party theme where glamorously-dressed guests don elaborate Venetian masks, traditionally worn to conceal their identity at upper-class social events.
Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Masquerade is one of the most uniquely designed, and diversely programmed live music venues in the country.
To masquerade means "to pretend to be someone else." If you masquerade as a sweet, kind-hearted person, you present that image to the world, hiding your true identity as a jerk who has rage issues. As a verb, masquerade can also mean to dress up as someone else, in costume.
What is the masquerade definition? The formal definition of a masquerade quoted from Oxford Languages is “a false show or pretense” and “pretending to be someone one is not”.