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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lying
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Dissimilar Words
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
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2
as in dissimulating
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissembling
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
His inner self is right there and raw at the surface, leaving him incapable of dissembling, which is why Lancaster Dodd likes him so much.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Such dissembling by the people who are where the buck stops raises doubt that the Pentagon’s final report will be candid.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
His inner self is right there and raw at the surface, leaving him incapable of dissembling, which is why Lancaster Dodd likes him so much.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
When McKenzie asks him how much he’s contributed to the coffers of politicians, his dodging of the question is pure dissembling theater.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissembling
Noun
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So, that's a kind of deception.
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The county argues the grand jury fundamentally misunderstood what happened before the explosion, saying its investigation relied on speculation instead of evidence and wrongly blamed county officials for a criminal enterprise prosecutors say was built on years of deception.
Noun
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The original trial was found to be invalid due to fraud and deceit.
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And with that comes deceit and manipulation.
Adjective
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He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Verb
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Clarity does not require pretending the fog is gone.
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This has included perpetrators pretending to administer a survey in their car, posing as a social worker giving away free baby items at their home, accompanying victims to a doctor’s appointment at a nonexistent clinic, and luring them to fake baby showers.
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
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Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
Noun
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These passages highlight the typically human cruelty and hypocrisy of fighting for one’s own liberty while denying it to one’s neighbors.
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Months after Louis and Schmeling’s first match, the Summer Olympics in Berlin offered another telling indictment of America’s hypocrisy, when Jesse Owens won four golds.
Adjective
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The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.
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Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.
Verb
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People also tend to confuse fragrance intensity with cleanliness, assuming a strong smell means a deeper clean.
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Investors will take riskier positions, assuming the central bank will save them from their own mistakes.
Cite this Entry
“Dissembling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissembling. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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