charade
noun
[ ʃəˈrɑːd ]
• an absurd pretence intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.
• "talk of unity was nothing more than a charade"
Similar:
farce,
pantomime,
travesty,
mockery,
parody,
pretence,
act,
masquerade,
sham,
fake,
false display,
show,
front,
facade,
simulacrum,
Origin:
late 18th century: from French, from modern Provençal charrado ‘conversation’, from charra ‘chatter’, perhaps of imitative origin.
