mannequin
B2Neutral; specialized in fashion/retail contexts.
Definition
Meaning
A full-size model of the human body, typically made of wood or plastic, used for displaying or fitting clothes.
A person, especially a model, whose job is to wear and display clothes at fashion shows or for photographs; by extension, a person perceived as passive, expressionless, or overly controlled.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily denotes an inanimate dummy. The "live model" sense is now often covered by 'model'. In American English, the 'live model' sense is archaic or highly specialized.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, 'mannequin' can (historically) refer to a live fashion model, though this is now rare. American English uses it almost exclusively for the inanimate display dummy.
Connotations
Generally neutral, but can have a slightly negative connotation when referring to a person as passive or unresponsive (e.g., 'she stood there like a mannequin').
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in British English due to the wider, if archaic, semantic range. The inanimate sense is standard in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
N + V (The mannequin stands/poses in the window)V + N (to display/dress/arrange a mannequin)Adj + N (a realistic/antique/lifelike mannequin)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “stand like a mannequin (to stand very still and stiff)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in retail, visual merchandising, and fashion design.
Academic
Rare; might appear in design, art history, or sociology texts discussing consumer culture.
Everyday
Used when talking about shops, window displays, or Halloween decorations.
Technical
Specific term in visual merchandising and garment construction/prototyping.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The stylist will mannequin the new autumn collection.
American English
- They needed to mannequin the outfits before the photo shoot.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The shop has a mannequin in the window.
- The mannequin is wearing a red dress.
- She arranged the clothes on the mannequin to make them look nice.
- The museum had a mannequin wearing historical costume.
- The realism of the new fibre-glass mannequins is quite unsettling.
- He stood frozen, like a mannequin, too shocked to move.
- The artist uses mannequins in her installations to critique the commodification of the human form.
- The store's visual merchandising team spends hours meticulously styling each mannequin to tell a brand story.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a MAN with a NEatly sewn KIN of clothing – a MAN-NE-KIN is a dummy for clothes.
Conceptual Metaphor
PEOPLE ARE MANNEQUINS (for being controlled, passive, or used for display).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with Russian 'манекенщица' (a female fashion model). The English word primarily means the object, not the person. For a live model, use 'fashion model' or simply 'model'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'mannequin' to mean a live model in modern American contexts. Pronouncing it as /mænˈɛk.wɪn/ (confusion with 'mannequin' as a French borrowing).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the use of 'mannequin' to mean a live model still acceptable?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Mannequin' is the standard, more formal term used in retail and fashion. 'Dummy' is more informal and general; it can also refer to things like a ventriloquist's dummy or a crash-test dummy.
Rarely. In professional fashion/retail contexts, it can mean 'to dress or arrange a mannequin', but this is jargon. It's not common in general English.
Yes, it's a direct borrowing from French, where it originally meant 'artist's jointed model'. The spelling and pronunciation are anglicized.
The standard American pronunciation is /ˈmæn.ə.kɪn/, with stress on the first syllable and a schwa in the second. The 'q' is pronounced as a /k/.
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