as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
it was clear to her friends that her reaction to the news was pure playacting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playacting
Noun
-
Although algorithmic favoritism had long been suspected across platforms, Musk’s unapologetic approach dispensed with the pretense of neutrality that tech companies had carefully maintained.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
14 Apr. 2025 -
Black and brown Californians angered at attempts to erase history, legacy and achievement under pretense of eliminating diversity and equity initiatives.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Guardian newspaper reports that the former Doctor Who star – who appeared in the 2005 film adaptation of Rowling’s book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – gave his opinion of Rowling in answer to questions posed by a group of neurodivergent young adults in ITV’s show The Assembly.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Interest in the case has swept the country since then, spurring an array of true crime podcasts, movies, television shows and a host of supporters for both Read and O’Keefe.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
While posing for photos at the event, Princess Charlene was joined by filmmaker Blanca Li, and her sister-in-law Princess Caroline of Hanover, among others.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Some of Shintoism’s most important structures, including the famous Ise Grand Shrine, have been regularly torn down and rebuilt over the centuries, posing a philosophical question — akin to the ship of Theseus paradox — of whether a building is more than the sum of its material parts.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a tumble of XXL petals on the facade of this nine-level, 40,000-square-foot building, which since November has been home to 180 employees, including an eight-strong prototyping team.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The winds also pried off chunks of buildings’ facades.—
Amal Elawady,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This prompt gives you enough talking points to contribute thoughtfully without pretending to be an expert.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Interspersed in the narrative, there are South Asian folktales about a jackal who is punished for pretending to be a king and a foolish man who puts all his eggs in a basket.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Tap the Neighbors tab to view pictures and video of events in your neighborhood such as porch thefts, attempted break-ins, and acts of vandalism.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
-
State law enforcement agencies wanting to participate in the program must enter into memorandums of agreement with ICE, according to the act, before participating in the program.—
Michelle Watson,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
When the acting dream started Growing up in Sacramento, Smalls was a three-sport athlete in high school attending West Campus, Rosemont and Foothill in North Highlands.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Right before graduation, Smalls found a two-year program in the William Esper Studio in New York City which teaches acting techniques such as the Meisner Technique.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Cybercriminals Cyber threat opportunism takes many guises, from ransomware actors leveraging media interest in Elon Musk and DOGE to launch a trillion-dollar attack, to physical attackers using shoulder-surfing techniques to steal your phone and access the data contained within.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Leavitt uses the individual stories to showcase Ukrainian resilience and resistance—themes that appear in many guises, including grassroots relief efforts.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Playacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playacting. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share