feigned

adjective

ˈfānd 

1

: fictitious

Was his account actual or feigned?

2

: not genuine or real

showered him with feigned compliments

Synonyms

• affected
• artificial
• assumed
• bogus
• contrived
• factitious
• fake
• false
• forced
• mechanical
• mock
• phony
• phoney
• plastic
• pretended
• pseudo
• put-on
• sham
• simulated
• spurious
• strained
• unnatural

Examples of feigned in a Sentence

the feigned applause that polite people give after a bad concert

the feigned looks of innocence I got when I asked who had broken the lamp

Recent Examples on the Web

With feigned incredulity, Darrow asked whether Bryan hadn’t ever tried to learn about older and other civilizations. —Lisa Grunwald, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Holidays are performative - Mikey Day appears to demonstrate his feigned love for his son’s gift. —Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2023

Temple’s feigned cheeriness and Leigh’s layered sourness are especially good when the characters go head to head. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2023

Girls complain of being weighed down, at times with feigned annoyance. —Rachel Sherman, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023

Pretending to reel from the news, the senator clutched his head in feigned shock. —Noah Rothman, National Review, 13 Sep. 2023

While the rage comes naturally to Scott, the reflection can feel feigned and forced. —Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023

Hilarity fails to ensue via such episodes as Sebastian pretending to be a bad tennis player to impress his father (don’t ask) and having to reveal himself when his game partner Tigger becomes irate at his feigned fumbling. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2023

Information, no matter how much the political censors grandstand upon feigned morality, cannot be contained. —Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feyned, feigned, from past participle of feynen "to feign"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1