disguise 1 of 2

disguise

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disguise differ from other similar words?

The words cloak and mask are common synonyms of disguise. While all three words mean "to alter the dress or appearance of so as to conceal the identity or true nature," disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity.

disguised herself as a peasant

When is cloak a more appropriate choice than disguise?

The words cloak and disguise are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cloak suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention.

cloaked their maneuvers in secrecy

When might mask be a better fit than disguise?

The synonyms mask and disguise are sometimes interchangeable, but mask suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something.

smiling to mask his discontent

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disguise
Noun
The Forgotten Gender Nonconformists of the Old West Livia Gershon April 27, 2018 In the Old West, cross-dressing was sometimes a disguise for criminals on the lam. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2025 He’s heard the sale rumors but somehow isn’t perceptive enough to see through the semi-ambulatory Griffin’s disguise. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Verb
From there, Caguioa disguises the fractures using elastomeric caulking dusted with sand to replicate the appearance of the original concrete. Paul Nicolaus, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025 But no: Odell’s tome is actually an art book disguised as a self-help book. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for disguise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disguise
Noun
  • Unfolding against the backdrop of SCAD’s campus in the hilltop village of Lacoste in the Luberon Valley, honorees included actor Toby Jones, director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and James Bond and Harry Potter costume designer Jany Temime.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 June 2025
  • Every cobbled lane was blocked by revelers crowded outside the bars, all wearing white-and-red fiesta costumes.
    Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • The addition of countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia has meant that BRICS has increasingly taken on the guise of the Global South forum.
    Jorge Heine, The Conversation, 7 July 2025
  • Purified and reclaimed, these guises can take their place next to the other parts of her ever-expanding self-myth.
    Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • So ranked-choice voting was implemented as a stop-loss remedy — a move to camouflage the practices of an industry devoted to meretricious, often nihilistic entertainments.
    Armond White, National Review, 27 June 2025
  • That shaft was later concealed and camouflaged, more recent imagery also shows.
    Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • Iconic pin-up Jayne Mansfield has an affair in the midst of her separation from Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay and conceals it from the world, returning to Hargitay, who welcomes the baby as his own and continues to raise when Mansfield tragically dies in a car accident at only 34 years old.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 26 June 2025
  • In France’s top division, Ligue 1, two high profile players were recently given bans for concealing the anti-homophobia badge on their club’s shirts.
    Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • Rounding out the trio is the Circadian Cream Overnight Collagen Seal ($135), a rich overnight mask that doesn’t fully absorb—by design—so skin wakes up still visibly moisturized and refreshed.
    Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • The video shows three individuals in plain clothes, two of whom were wearing masks and badges on lanyards, attempting to guide Vargas into an unmarked Honda Accord.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • The narrow cobblestone street cuts through the city’s Old Town toward the waterfront and abuts the eastern facade of Diocletian’s Palace, an ancient Roman fortress built about 1,700 years ago.
    Aspen Pflughoeft July 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2025
  • After arriving, fire crews reported that parts of the facade and some of the parapet separated from the parking garage, sending bricks crashing to the sidewalk and street below, Nolan said.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Such a deal is not going to bring about North Korea’s denuclearization, of course, and Pyongyang will likely attempt to cheat by hiding some of its nuclear facilities.
    ANDREI LANKOV, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2025
  • Eight airports in different states appeared to have dropped the requirement, in place since 2006 after a British man in 2001 attempted to destroy an airliner with explosives hidden in a shoe.
    semafor.com, semafor.com, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Her work whispers, glimmers, and unsettles—not to obscure the past, but to seed something new from its soil.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • Norris says the location is an especially difficult terrain to conduct a search in because the trees and shrubbery can obscure the view of where bullets are coming from.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disguise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disguise. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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