dissemble
verb
dis·sem·ble di-ˈsem-bəl 
dissembled; dissembling di-ˈsem-b(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
: to hide under a false appearance
dissembling the facts
2
: to put on the appearance of : simulate
She lay down and dissembled sleep.
intransitive verb
: to put on a false appearance : conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense
He had dissembled about the risks involved.
dissembler
di-ˈsem-b(ə-)lər
noun 
Did you know?
We don't have anything to hide: dissemble is a synonym of disguise, cloak, and mask. Disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity ("The prince disguised himself as a peasant"). Cloak suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention ("The military operation was cloaked in secrecy"). Mask suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something ("The customer smiled to mask her discontent"). Dissemble (from Latin dissimulare, meaning "to disguise or conceal") stresses the intent to deceive, especially about one's own thoughts or feelings, and often implies that the deception is something that would warrant censure if discovered.
Synonyms
- act
- affect
- assume
- bluff
- counterfeit
- fake
- feign
- pass (for)
- pretend
- profess
- put on
- sham
- simulate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
Recent Examples on the Web The PCs are easy to dissemble and repair, meaning they can be fixed rather than thrown out in favor or new ones, Kao says. 
Ralph Jennings, Forbes, 5 July 2022 This facility will soon mandate that all visitors be vaccinated, but my relative plans to dissemble in order to evade the requirement. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2021 That drew a memorable riposte from Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, who slyly suggested that the former vice president, with his long Senate experience, was no naif about Netanyahu’s ability to dissemble. Noga Tarnopolsky, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 The doctors attending him are public servants and shouldn’t dissemble or strategize when answering questions that citizens are entitled to ask. Star Tribune, 7 Oct. 2020 The Ebay team allegedly continued to dissemble, both to law enforcement and to Ebay’s own lawyers, who by August 26 had begun to conduct their own interviews about the matter. Brian Barrett, Wired, 15 June 2020 And when Denise becomes Georges’ eager collaborator and chief financier, Haenel’s flinty-eyed intelligence becomes a vital counterpoint to Dujardin’s dissembling idiocy. Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2020 Everything so far has been dissembling, denial, pointing the finger somewhere else. Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2019 See More
Ralph Jennings, Forbes, 5 July 2022 This facility will soon mandate that all visitors be vaccinated, but my relative plans to dissemble in order to evade the requirement. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2021 That drew a memorable riposte from Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, who slyly suggested that the former vice president, with his long Senate experience, was no naif about Netanyahu’s ability to dissemble. Noga Tarnopolsky, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 The doctors attending him are public servants and shouldn’t dissemble or strategize when answering questions that citizens are entitled to ask. Star Tribune, 7 Oct. 2020 The Ebay team allegedly continued to dissemble, both to law enforcement and to Ebay’s own lawyers, who by August 26 had begun to conduct their own interviews about the matter. Brian Barrett, Wired, 15 June 2020 And when Denise becomes Georges’ eager collaborator and chief financier, Haenel’s flinty-eyed intelligence becomes a vital counterpoint to Dujardin’s dissembling idiocy. Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2020 Everything so far has been dissembling, denial, pointing the finger somewhere else. Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English dissymblen, alteration of dissimulen, from Middle French dissimuler, from Latin dissimulare — more at dissimulate
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
dissembling 1 of 3
noun
1
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery a crafty child given to frequent dissembling to get what she wants Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- deception
- deceit
- deceptiveness
- fraud
- cheating
- cunning
- deceitfulness
- lying
- duplicity
- dishonesty
- dissimulation
- fakery
- guile
- secrecy
- crookedness
- craftiness
- prevarication
- cozenage
- double-dealing
- wiliness
- cunningness
- subterfuge
- dupery
- crookery
- mendacity
- craft
- artifice
- fraudulence
- equivocation
- trickery
- hypocrisy
- swindling
- jugglery
- chicanery
- skulduggery
- artfulness
- guilefulness
- legerdemain
- foxiness
- insincerity
- wile
- deviousness
- shrewdness
- fib
- untruth
- falsehood
- skullduggery
- covertness
- underhandedness
- obliquity
- caginess
- furtiveness
- sanctimoniousness
- sneakiness
- shiftiness
- two-facedness
- unscrupulousness
- slipperiness
- falsity
- slyness
- chicane
- shadiness
- mountebankery
- treacherousness
- slickness
- smoothness
- hanky-panky
- stealthiness
- cageyness
- oiliness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ingenuousness
- sincerity
- artlessness
- frankness
- forthrightness
- guilelessness
- candor
- openness
- directness
- honesty
- plainness
- candidness
- probity
- reliability
- truthfulness
- integrity
- trustworthiness
- solidity
- good faith
- goodness
- dependability
- plainspokenness
- righteousness
- incorruptibility
- decency
- reliableness
- uprightness
- virtuousness
- trustiness
- trustability
2
as in deceit
the pretending of having virtues, principles, or beliefs that one in fact does not have in the end the preacher's smarmy dissembling is discovered, and he is exposed as a fraud Synonyms & Similar Words
- deception
- deceit
- hypocrisy
- deceptiveness
- dissimulation
- affectation
- deceitfulness
- insincerity
- pretense
- pretension
- dishonesty
- piousness
- duplicity
- perfidy
- cant
- falseness
- shamming
- double-dealing
- two-facedness
- glibness
- fakery
- falsity
- sanctimoniousness
- affectedness
- pretence
- artificiality
- smoothness
- pretentiousness
- fraudulentness
- self-righteousness
- self-satisfaction
- unctuousness
- oiliness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sincerity
- frankness
- candor
- honesty
- truthfulness
- openness
- directness
- forthrightness
- genuineness
- probity
- straightforwardness
- artlessness
- sincereness
- naturalness
- guilelessness
- openheartedness
- unaffectedness
dissembling
2 of 3adjective
as in lying
Synonyms & Similar Words
- lying
- mendacious
- duplicitous
- dishonest
- deceiving
- misleading
- fraudulent
- defrauding
- deceitful
- knavish
- untruthful
- deceptive
- fallacious
- untrustworthy
- cunning
- deluding
- faithless
- beguiling
- specious
- trick
- double-dealing
- artful
- crooked
- underhanded
- wily
- shifty
- delusive
- crafty
- guileful
- confounding
- sneaky
- delusory
- sly
- devious
- ambidextrous
- perplexing
- slick
- inaccurate
- subtle
- bewildering
- tricky
- distracting
- perfidious
- sneaking
- subtile
- underhand
- incorrect
- false
- trickish
- puzzling
- evasive
- feigned
- insidious
- wrong
- foxy
- shady
- fast
- sham
- treacherous
- phony
- counterfeit
- ambiguous
- spurious
- hypocritical
- bogus
- forged
- fake
- insincere
- jive
- equivocal
- phoney
- two-faced
- circuitous
- backhanded
- artificial
- left-handed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- plain
- frank
- illuminating
- direct
- outspoken
- candid
- plainspoken
- straight
- open
- revealing
- clarifying
- openhearted
- explanatory
- truthful
- revelatory
- honest
- free-spoken
- foursquare
- trustworthy
- elucidative
- forthright
- straightforward
- nondeceptive
- aboveboard
dissembling
3 of 3verb
1
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else Synonyms & Similar Words
- pretending
- simulating
- assuming
- feigning
- shamming
- acting
- affecting
- bluffing
- counterfeiting
- professing
- dissimulating
- concealing
- faking
- making believe
- forging
- posing
- masquerading
- putting on
- playacting
- camouflaging
- playing
- imitating
- disguising
- passing (for)
- masking
- impersonating
- malingering
- feinting
- letting on
2
as in dissimulating
to take on a false or deceptive appearance children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age Synonyms & Similar Words
- pretending
- dissimulating
- posing
- acting
- making believe
- masquerading
- letting on
- feigning
- playacting
- shamming
- playing
- putting on an act
- putting up a front
- concealing
- making a pretense
- making a show
- making out
- camouflaging
- simulating
- faking
- disguising
- affecting
- counterfeiting
- impersonating
- professing
- masking
- feinting
- bluffing
- assuming
- putting on