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
Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
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
Verb
Most artists spend enormous energy maintaining that closeness — or at least feigning it.
—Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feigning
Noun
-
Their simulations showed that Earth’s orbit could expand enough to remain beyond the sun’s maximum size during both the red giant and AGB phases.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
-
Training data for robots is slow, physical, and expensive, often requiring human teleoperation or imperfect simulations that struggle with real-world messiness.—
Robert J. Szczerba,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The criminals then follow up by phone, pretending to be IT support and ask employees to join screen-sharing sessions or install remote-access software.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
Just someone pretending to help.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
The rest have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges.—
Jacques Billeaud,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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There was the friend who bought the wine, the person who made the fake ID, the clerk who may or may not have looked at the forgery before ringing up the sale.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
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This has become increasingly difficult, with professional players routinely simulating injuries and an offside rule that is interpreted to within fractions of an inch.—
Eric Zillmer,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
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Hundreds of first responders and volunteers gathered at Detroit Metropolitan Airport Wednesday morning to take part in a full-scale emergency training exercise simulating a real-life plane crash.—
Hannah McIlree,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Liability insurance costs also rise dramatically — assuming coverage can be obtained in a state facing a severe insurance crisis — further reducing funds available for essential services.—
Kim Gorsuch,
Sun Sentinel,
16 June 2026
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That works out to roughly four reusable water bottles per day for men and about three for women, assuming bottles are in the standard 24- to 32-ounce range.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The caliber of those items ranges from counterfeit to museum-quality.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
To me, the result didn’t taste like a cheap counterfeit but a breakthrough.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Mayim Bialik made her Big Bang Theory debut on season 3 as Amy, a neurobiologist who joined the gang under the pretense of being a potential love match for Sheldon via an online dating site.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
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This year, McVay avoided any pretense of suspense.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Feigning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feigning. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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