comportance: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare / ArchaicFormal, Literary, Archaic
Quick answer
What does “comportance” mean?
Manner of bearing or conducting oneself.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Manner of bearing or conducting oneself; behaviour.
The outward manifestation of one's character or attitude; demeanour or conduct in a specific situation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No contemporary difference; the word is equally archaic and unused in both varieties.
Connotations
Archaising, formal, possibly poetic.
Frequency
Virtually zero frequency in modern corpora for both.
Grammar
How to Use “comportance” in a Sentence
[possessive pronoun] + comportanceadjective + comportanceVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “comportance” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- His actions did not **comport** with his stated principles.
American English
- The results **comport** with our initial hypothesis.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in historical or literary analysis of Early Modern texts.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Not used.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “comportance”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “comportance”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “comportance”
- Using it in modern contexts; misspelling as 'comportence' (confusion with competence).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered rare and archaic. Modern synonyms like 'bearing' or 'demeanour' are used instead.
No. The related verb is 'comport' (oneself), as in 'He comported himself with dignity'. 'Comportance' is solely a noun.
Primarily in literature from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as in the works of Shakespeare or his contemporaries.
It will sound archaic, pretentious, or simply be misunderstood in contemporary speech or writing.
Manner of bearing or conducting oneself.
Comportance is usually formal, literary, archaic in register.
Comportance: in British English it is pronounced /kəmˈpɔːt(ə)ns/, and in American English it is pronounced /kəmˈpɔːrtəns/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(archaic) To keep one's comportance.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of COMportance as your COMplete bearing or PORTrayal of yourself in public.
Conceptual Metaphor
BEHAVIOUR IS A PRESENTABLE OBJECT (one 'carries' or 'bears' one's comportance).
Practice
Quiz
'Comportance' is best described as a: