1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the feigned applause that polite people give after a bad concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
the feigned looks of innocence I got when I asked who had broken the lamp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of
I would never feign illness just to get out of a test
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of feigned
T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Stewart exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm.
—Judy Kurtz, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Then, while Williams was stoic, Storrie feigned nervousness about presenting, contorting himself into knots.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feigned
Adjective
There’s no feigned seriousness, no proclamations of honesty.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Stewart exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm.
—Judy Kurtz, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
When Glassman asked him if the burns were third-degree or second-degree, Rudd feigned being unable to recall what doctors had told him.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Then, while Williams was stoic, Storrie feigned nervousness about presenting, contorting himself into knots.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feigned
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feigned
Adjective
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Denver Post Broncos beat reporter Luca Evans also has McNeil-Warren coming to Denver in his mock draft.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
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An annual festival in Andorra drew condemnation from the country’s small Jewish community after an effigy bearing the Israeli flag was staged in a mock trial and then hung and shot.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The outcome is sure to spark strong reactions from Arizona Republicans who advanced the 2022 changes and several GOP legislators successfully invoked the law to defend themselves as fake electors from criminal prosecution by Mayes.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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Jonathan Holloway, founder of Pokémon card authentication and pre-grading company Validoe, told USA TODAY that fake cards are abundant in the market, so the authenticity of the cards should be ensured before grading, which often comes at a price.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Investigators say at least 21 boys were catfished and sextorted after Zachariah Meyers, an 18-year-old Peters Township High School senior, pretended to be an adult film star from the Netherlands, with at least 14 teenagers sending pornographic pictures of themselves.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Then, an experimenter presented the bonobo with two empty, transparent cups and pretended to pour juice from an empty pitcher into each cup.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Her breathing grew strained and wheezy.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
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Centrist leaders in the United Kingdom, France and Germany resist spending a larger percentage of their strained budgets defending against a Russian threat that their far-right populist opponents might think can be easily negotiated away.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The cancerous tissue contained on average more than double the amount of plastic as healthy prostate tissue samples, the study found.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Crucially, however, there is another view onto Bove’s sculpture beyond the double illusionism of its oblique materialism and front-facing near-pictorialism.—
Gordon Hughes,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Surtain pick was made with the philosophy that there would be no shortcuts, after Paton assumed the helm of a franchise that had gone 32-48 in its five seasons since winning Super Bowl 50.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
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Many agencies confirmed figures with CNN directly, but when agencies did not respond, CNN used the most recent information available on their websites or other government websites and assumed five-day weeks when calculating the approximate number of training days.—
Blake Ellis,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Republicans are worried that the popular but scandal-plagued Paxton could eventually win the primary, boosting Democrats’ chances of finally flipping the seat blue after decades of false hope.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
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That same user later posted another video acknowledging police’s statement about the false rumors, which only has about 3,000 views.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Nov. 2025
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The pop of color offers a shimmer-free (rare!) means of warming up a wedding look and works equally well at lip level.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Feigned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feigned. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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