as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
I would never feign illness just to get out of a test
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of feigning
Sara Belcher, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
When Zuccarello took a swipe with his stick and smacked McCarron in the leg, the big man responded with a Oscar-worthy acting job, feigning like he had been slashed on the wrist.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026
Thanks for being there and at least feigning interest in my oddball life.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
Dillon Brooks antagonizing, Devin Booker feigning indifference.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Camille smirks into her wine, feigning terror but secretly gleeful at the display.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Akhparian asked while patting himself down and feigning to be in search of a weapon.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Taylor ran his route perfectly, feigning a move to his left before turning upfield and finding a sliver of open space in the end zone.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors noted that even after Navy officials began to scrutinize his activities, Butler attempted to conceal his identity by using a fake name and feigning employment with a fictitious fuel division of a separate company.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
All the while, the pair are doing their makeup on the plane ride over, feigning their different emergencies so as not to spoil the surprise.
—Sara Belcher, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
When Zuccarello took a swipe with his stick and smacked McCarron in the leg, the big man responded with a Oscar-worthy acting job, feigning like he had been slashed on the wrist.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026
Thanks for being there and at least feigning interest in my oddball life.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
Dillon Brooks antagonizing, Devin Booker feigning indifference.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Camille smirks into her wine, feigning terror but secretly gleeful at the display.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Akhparian asked while patting himself down and feigning to be in search of a weapon.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Taylor ran his route perfectly, feigning a move to his left before turning upfield and finding a sliver of open space in the end zone.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors noted that even after Navy officials began to scrutinize his activities, Butler attempted to conceal his identity by using a fake name and feigning employment with a fictitious fuel division of a separate company.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feigning
Noun
-
Their measurements closely matched theoretical predictions and simulations, validating the core physics behind the approach.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
-
Especially since a perfect kill rate in simulation is very different from real battlefield performance.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of pretending to be doctors attempting to remove body parts from a patient, however, Unethical Hoops players act as members of an opposing basketball team trying to take the ball from a cartoon character who very much resembles Gilgeous-Alexander.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Some owners show their mettle for a spell, then find adequate reason to knuckle under; others have no intention of even pretending to do what is hard or what is right.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The campaign says entire batches of signatures collected by Bronske were rejected after three towns contacted the Secretary of State’s Office with concerns of forgery.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
Southlake police stopped an in-progress forgery at a bank after staff notified them about suspicious activity, officials said in a Facebook post.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Three days after that, Skubal fired 35 pitches in another bullpen session, simulating what would normally be a start day.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
These models are getting better at simulating reality.—
Nilay Patel,
The Verge,
26 May 2026
Noun
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With deepfake attacks only showing signs of increasing, organizations must accept that no automated or human detection system is foolproof, and that resilience requires shifting focus from spotting the fake to slowing and containing the abuse of trust.—
Steve Piper,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Brooks Peck put together a guide to the art of spotting a fake.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Once stakeholders begin assuming that every image, video, or statement could be fabricated, institutional trust weakens across the board.—
Richard Torrenzano,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
-
And, teams assuming low-code handles anything can end up with fragile systems held together by workarounds.—
Nik Froehlich,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
Unprosecuted crimes against the public — such as the widespread sale of 78-cent postage stamps for 19 cents to 59 cents, rolls of 100, counterfeits all, for years online.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Its expert team enforces strict production rules, promotes the brand globally, fights counterfeits and certifies every wheel.—
Antonia Mortensen,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
In a work culture that has spent a decade celebrating grit, Cowan’s quieter argument—that caring openly is the more rigorous path to performance, and that the expensive thing is not the pause but the pretense—may be the one most worth remembering on a Monday morning.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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According to Placer Superior Court filings, one false pretenses count and the personal identifying information charge stemmed from a June 21, 2025, incident.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Feigning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feigning. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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