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 have nothing to hide: dissemble (from the Latin verb dissimulāre, meaning “to disguise the identity of”) stresses the intent to deceive others, especially about facts, feelings, or intentions. Most often found in formal or literary speech and writing, dissemble also implies that the facts, feelings, or intentions someone is attempting to conceal could land that person in hot water if discovered, as when a politician dissembles at a press conference when faced with questions about a recent scandal. Typical use notwithstanding, it’s perfectly fine to bust out dissemble in less formal contexts and conversations. Just be careful not to confuse dissemble with disassemble, which means “to take apart.”

Synonyms

• pretend
• assume
• simulate

Examples of dissemble in a Sentence

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

Among the interested parties were shipbreakers planning to dissemble the vessel for scrap metal, according to Saw. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025

Authorities were forced to dissemble the back deck in order to rescue some of the pups that were beneath, according to the Strong Island Animal Rescue League, who assisted with the efforts. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025

Building trust in companies and their leaders isn’t easy, given many decades of dissembling. —Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025

You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were. —Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for dissemble

• semble
• tremble
• assemble
• resemble
• disassemble
• reassemble

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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