feign

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb feign contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of feign are affect, assume, counterfeit, pretend, sham, and simulate. While all these words mean "to put on a false or deceptive appearance," feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

When can affect be used instead of feign?

The meanings of affect and feign largely overlap; however, affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

When is assume a more appropriate choice than feign?

In some situations, the words assume and feign are roughly equivalent. However, assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

When could counterfeit be used to replace feign?

The words counterfeit and feign can be used in similar contexts, but counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

When might pretend be a better fit than feign?

The synonyms pretend and feign are sometimes interchangeable, but pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

When is it sensible to use sham instead of feign?

Although the words sham and feign have much in common, sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

When would simulate be a good substitute for feign?

While the synonyms simulate and feign are close in meaning, simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

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 feign Even Cynthia clocks Drew’s pattern of getting caught in lies—and feigning confusion when confronted. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 19 Mar. 2025 Sophia Bush and her partner Ashlyn Harris happily obliged a photographer by climbing in and feigning pillow talk with their espresso martinis. Freya Drohan, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2025 Online, jokey provocations feigned a detachment from real life. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025 Yun feigns a movement towards the ball on his right foot and then steps onto his left, allowing the ball to run across his path and wrong-footing his marker. Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for feign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feign
Verb
  • An investigation revealed the teen had corresponded online with an individual pretending to be a 20-year-old woman, later identified by authorities as Kassi.
    Jason Green, Mercury News, 10 May 2025
  • And by the fourth, all that remained was an empty row of houses, merely pretending to be homes.
    Jessica Guerrieri, People.com, 9 May 2025
Verb
  • Resilience Testing Through Chaos Engineering A compelling example of living intelligence in cloud and DevOps is Netflix’s Chaos Engineering platform, which simulates real-world failures to proactively test system resilience.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • It’s based on 5,000 conversations that simulate interactions between individual users or clinicians and AI models.
    Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot,Bertha Coombs, CNBC, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • In order to be approved for any of those products, a borrower needs a strong credit profile, and the willingness and ability to assume more debt.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 18 May 2025
  • States like Florida could be forced to assume billions in costs for health care and disaster preparedness.
    Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Feign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feign. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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