cosplay
A blend of "costume" and "play," referring to dressing up as a fictional character from anime, games, comics, or films, often at conventions or for photo shoots.
Definitions
A blend of "costume" and "play," referring to dressing up as a fictional character from anime, games, comics, or films, often at conventions or for photo shoots. Originated in Japanese fan culture in the 1980s and now mainstream worldwide. Used as both noun and verb: you can do cosplay, wear a cosplay, or cosplay a character. Online, the word is also used figuratively to mock people who put on an identity they have not earned, as in "he is just cosplaying as an expert."
Her Zelda cosplay at the con was unreal.
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Other words near "cosplay" (C)
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Related terms
Semantically related
- cosplaytriot65%
(slang, derogatory) Someone who tries and fails to act like a patriot.
- cossie61%
(UK, Australia) A swimming costume.
- my culture is not your costume59%
(Internet slang, humorous, _, or, _, derogatory, fandom slang) Within a fan group or subculture, an accusation of malicious appropriation by an outsider, or a denial of a person's credentials.
- fancy dress58%
(UK, Australia) A costume, disguise to masquerade as something or someone else.
- pantsu56%
A Japanese loanword used in ACG (anime, comics, games) communities and internet slang to mean panties or underpants — specifically women's underwear in the context of anime and manga fan culture. The word is a Japanese phonetic borrowing of the English 'pants' (in British English, underwear). In fandom contexts, it carries playful or titillating connotations associated with fanservice tropes in anime. Widely recognised among Western anime fans and used in fan discussions, fan art captions, and memes.