feign

verb

ˈfān

feigned; feigning; feigns

transitive verb

: to give a false appearance of : induce as a false impression

feign death

: to assert as if true : pretend

He feigned that he was not feeling well so that he could leave the party early.

archaic

: invent, imagine

: to give fictional representation to

obsolete : disguise, conceal

intransitive verb

: pretend, dissemble

He told the truth because he was no good at feigning.

feigner noun

Example Sentences

I wince, feigning interest in a TV Guide and mumbling a hello.

Douglas Coupland, Generation X, 1991 Success keeps her busy. "Relaxation?" she asks, feigning puzzlement. "What's that?"

Jennifer Johnston, New Woman, November 1990 … Brad would sometimes clown or feign clumsiness just to crack her composed expression with a blush or a disapproving frown.

John Updike, Trust Me, 1987 I would never feign illness just to get out of a test.

Recent Examples on the Web Titania had to scream insecurity and yet feign complete confidence.

Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Sep. 2022 The point is not to feign fearlessness but instead to use fear as a motivation.

Ryan Mcgrath, Forbes, 27 June 2022 Krasinski had to feign surprise before getting into another gag about Marvel snipers in the audience.

Chris Smith, BGR, 29 July 2022 When Alex causes an international incident snubbing Henry at a royal event, the two are ordered to feign a friendship.

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2022 When faced with incriminating emails and documents in court, Monsanto officials feign amnesia while sticking to the company’s official line.

Dennis Harvey, Variety, 15 May 2022 When their animosity for one another hits the tabloids, the two are forced to feign friendship for the sake of amicable U.S.-British relations.

Leah Campano, Seventeen, 2 June 2022 Actors have been unstable types forever (playing other people for a living is odd work), but movie stars were once expected to feign elegance.

Nr Editors, National Review, 31 Mar. 2022 While some may have managed to feign an expression of shock after the logic of Trumpism reached its apotheosis on January 6, 2021, the simple fact of the matter is that the GOP had long since been bent into its current anti-democratic shape.

Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feynen, feignen "to make, fabricate, make a likeness of, dissemble, pretend to be," borrowed from Anglo-French feign-, stem of feindre, going back to Latin fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be," going back to Indo-European *d^hi-n-ǵ^h- (whence also Old Irish con-utuinc "builds, constructs,",Armenian dizanem "[I] heap up"), present tense derivative of *d^hei̯ǵ^h- "knead, shape," whence Gothic digan "to knead, form from clay," Old Church Slavic ziždǫ, zĭdati "to build," Lithuanian žiedžiù, žiẽsti "to form, shape (from clay)" (Balto-Slavic with metathesis of stop consonants), Armenian edēz "(s/he) heaped up," Tocharian B tsik- "fashion, shape, build," Sanskrit pari … déhat "will cover over, smear over"

Note: See also etymologies at dough, paradise, and thigmotropism.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

feign

verb

as in to pretend

to present a false appearance of I would never feign illness just to get out of a test

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pretend
simulate
assume
profess
act
dissemble
affect
conceal
sham
fake
bluff
dissimulate
make believe
counterfeit
pose
forge
playact
imitate
put on
disguise
masquerade
impersonate
pass (for)
camouflage
feint
play
mask
malinger
let on

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of feign are affect, assume, counterfeit, pretend, sham, and simulate. While all these words mean "to put on a false or deceptive appearance," feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

The meanings of affect and feign largely overlap; however, affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

In some situations, the words assume and feign are roughly equivalent. However, assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

The words counterfeit and feign can be used in similar contexts, but counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

The synonyms pretend and feign are sometimes interchangeable, but pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

Although the words sham and feign have much in common, sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

While the synonyms simulate and feign are close in meaning, simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

单词	feign
释义	feign verb ˈfān feigned; feigning; feigns transitive verb 1 a : to give a false appearance of : induce as a false impression feign death b : to assert as if true : pretend He feigned that he was not feeling well so that he could leave the party early. 2 archaic a : invent, imagine b : to give fictional representation to 3 obsolete : disguise, conceal intransitive verb : pretend, dissemble He told the truth because he was no good at feigning. feigner noun Did you know? The Shape of the History of Feign Feign is all about faking it, but that hasn't always been so. An early meaning of the word is "to fashion, form, or shape." That meaning comes from its Latin source: the verb fingere. In time, people began fashioning feign to suggest the act of forming, or giving shape to, false appearances. Synonyms act affect assume bluff counterfeit dissemble fake pass (for) pretend profess put on sham simulate See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences I wince, feigning interest in a TV Guide and mumbling a hello. Douglas Coupland, Generation X, 1991 Success keeps her busy. "Relaxation?" she asks, feigning puzzlement. "What's that?" Jennifer Johnston, New Woman, November 1990 … Brad would sometimes clown or feign clumsiness just to crack her composed expression with a blush or a disapproving frown. John Updike, Trust Me, 1987 I would never feign illness just to get out of a test. Recent Examples on the Web Titania had to scream insecurity and yet feign complete confidence. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Sep. 2022 The point is not to feign fearlessness but instead to use fear as a motivation. Ryan Mcgrath, Forbes, 27 June 2022 Krasinski had to feign surprise before getting into another gag about Marvel snipers in the audience. Chris Smith, BGR, 29 July 2022 When Alex causes an international incident snubbing Henry at a royal event, the two are ordered to feign a friendship. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2022 When faced with incriminating emails and documents in court, Monsanto officials feign amnesia while sticking to the company’s official line. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 15 May 2022 When their animosity for one another hits the tabloids, the two are forced to feign friendship for the sake of amicable U.S.-British relations. Leah Campano, Seventeen, 2 June 2022 Actors have been unstable types forever (playing other people for a living is odd work), but movie stars were once expected to feign elegance. Nr Editors, National Review, 31 Mar. 2022 While some may have managed to feign an expression of shock after the logic of Trumpism reached its apotheosis on January 6, 2021, the simple fact of the matter is that the GOP had long since been bent into its current anti-democratic shape. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English feynen, feignen "to make, fabricate, make a likeness of, dissemble, pretend to be," borrowed from Anglo-French feign-, stem of feindre, going back to Latin fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be," going back to Indo-European d^hi-n-ǵ^h- (whence also Old Irish con-utuinc "builds, constructs,",Armenian dizanem* "[I] heap up"), present tense derivative of d^hei̯ǵ^h- "knead, shape," whence Gothic digan* "to knead, form from clay," Old Church Slavic ziždǫ, zĭdati "to build," Lithuanian žiedžiù, žiẽsti "to form, shape (from clay)" (Balto-Slavic with metathesis of stop consonants), Armenian edēz "(s/he) heaped up," Tocharian B tsik- "fashion, shape, build," Sanskrit pari … déhat "will cover over, smear over" Note: See also etymologies at dough, paradise, and thigmotropism. First Known Use 13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense Kids Definition feign verb ˈfān feigned; feigning : pretend sense 2 feigning sickness feign verb as in to pretend to present a false appearance of I would never feign illness just to get out of a test Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance pretend simulate assume profess act dissemble affect conceal sham fake bluff dissimulate make believe counterfeit pose forge playact imitate put on disguise masquerade impersonate pass (for) camouflage feint play mask malinger let on Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of feign are affect, assume, counterfeit, pretend, sham, and simulate. While all these words mean "to put on a false or deceptive appearance," feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate. feigned sickness The meanings of affect and feign largely overlap; however, affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling. affected an interest in art In some situations, the words assume and feign are roughly equivalent. However, assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive. assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients The words counterfeit and feign can be used in similar contexts, but counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words. an actor counterfeiting drunkenness The synonyms pretend and feign are sometimes interchangeable, but pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance. pretended that nothing had happened Although the words sham and feign have much in common, sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible. shammed a most unconvincing limp While the synonyms simulate and feign are close in meaning, simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something. cosmetics that simulate a suntan
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feign

verb

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

verb

Synonym Chooser