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

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

Inside visitors of all ages collaborate on elaborate, sprawling LEGO creations which are assembled, then later dissembled to start anew, just as any devoted LEGO fan does at home. —Meg Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023

Hearts dissemble, jealousies can spring up out of nowhere and erotic desire leads everyone astray. —Charles Mcnulty, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023

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 dissymbulen, dissymblen, probably reshaping of dissimulen in same sense (after resemblen "to resemble," semblance semblance, and like forms), borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French dissimuler, dissumuler "to hide under a false appearance," borrowed from Latin dissimulāre — more at dissimulate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

dissemble

verb

dis·​sem·​ble dis-ˈem-bəl 

dissembled; dissembling -b(ə-)liŋ 

: to hide one's true feelings : put on a false appearance

dissembler

-b(ə-)lər 

noun