with a and plural. An instance of this; an act of dissembling. Obsolete or archaic.

False, feigned, or hypocritical profession or display of a quality, emotion, etc.; a pretence. Obsolete.

A false, feigned, or hypocritical profession or show, esp. of a quality, emotion, etc.

The action or an act of declaring, affirming, or avowing an opinion, belief, custom, etc., or of laying open claim to a particular quality or…

The action or an act of masquerading; the assumption of a disguise or false character; a pretence.

Something of the nature of a pretence; a sham.

As a count noun: an artificial thing or characteristic; = artificiality, n. 3. More usually as a mass noun: the quality or state of being…

British slang. Deception or fraud, or an instance of this; a sham, scam, or hoax. Obsolete.