ACTING

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does acting mean? 

• ACTING (noun)
  The noun ACTING has 1 sense:

1. the performance of a part or role in a drama

  Familiarity information: ACTING used as a noun is very rare.

• ACTING (adjective)
  The adjective ACTING has 1 sense:

1. serving temporarily especially as a substitute

  Familiarity information: ACTING used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACTING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The performance of a part or role in a drama

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

acting; performing; playacting; playing

Hypernyms ("acting" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

performing arts (arts or skills that require public performance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "acting"):

characterization; enactment; personation; portrayal (acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture)

impersonation; personation (imitating the mannerisms of another person)

method; method acting (an acting technique introduced by Stanislavsky in which the actor recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed)

dumb show; mime; pantomime (a performance using gestures and body movements without words)

business; byplay; stage business (incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect)

skit (a short theatrical episode)

hamming; overacting (poor acting by a ham actor)

heroics (ostentatious or vainglorious or extravagant or melodramatic conduct)

reenactment (performing a role in an event that occurred at an earlier time)

roleplaying (acting a particular role (as in psychotherapy))

Holonyms ("acting" is a part of...):

performance (the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment)

Derivation:

act (play a role or part)

act (perform on a stage or theater)

act (be suitable for theatrical performance)

• ACTING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Serving temporarily especially as a substitute

Context example:

the acting president

Similar:

impermanent; temporary (not permanent; not lasting)

 Context examples 

An intermediate-acting, first-generation sulfonylurea with hypoglycemic activity.

(Acetohexamide, NCI Thesaurus)

A long-acting, selective, reversible inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase with application as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent in animals.

(Aditoprim, NCI Thesaurus)

Performing or possessing executive duties; acting as a supervisor or manager.

(Administration, Management, NCI Thesaurus)

A long-acting, sulfhydryl-containing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor with antihypertensive activity.

(Alacepril, NCI Thesaurus)

Its fast-acting neuroleptic effect with low toxicity is of particular value in veterinary medicine.

(Acepromazine, NCI Thesaurus)

A sodium salt form of acediasulfone, a long-acting prodrug of dapsone, used in the treatment of leprosy.

(Acediasulfone Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

It’s difficult because there are not enough measurements available on either the forces acting on the rift or the composition of the ice shelf.

(Massive Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctica, NASA)

It then begins to rise, acting as a kind of a biological alarm clock wake-up signal.

(Bathing 90 minutes before bedtime can improve sleep quality, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A long-acting prodrug of dapsone, used in the treatment of leprosy.

(Acediasulfone, NCI Thesaurus)

A long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, with antihyperglycemic activity.

(Albiglutide, NCI Thesaurus)