Phrase guide

performative utterance

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A sentence or other linguistic expression which, when expressed in an appropriate context, actually does or accomplishes something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Coined by British philosopher J. L. Austin (1911–1960).

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: énoncé performatif — An expression which, when expressed in an appropriate context, actually does or accomplishes something
  • German: performative Sprechhandlung — An expression which, when expressed in an appropriate context, actually does or accomplishes something
  • Portuguese: enunciado performativo — An expression which, when expressed in an appropriate context, actually does or accomplishes something
  • Serbo-Croatian: performativna snaga iskaza — An expression which, when expressed in an appropriate context, actually does or accomplishes something
  • Spanish: enunciado realizativo — An expression which, when expressed in an appropriate context, actually does or accomplishes something