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
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Recent Examples of playacting
Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
Hence the infamous playacting subplot in her 1814 novel Mansfield Park, a novel written when Austen was at her professional peak.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playacting
Noun
-
Maybe the pretense was comforting to him, too.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
As architectural fashion has shifted, the software is no longer associated with complex geometry, and the pretense that digital tools might liberate architects—spurring them to new heights of creativity—has faded.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
It’s directed by Linus O’Brien, the son of Richard O’Brien, the British New Zealander who wrote the show (and played Riff Raff) and then went on a gender odyssey.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Its top show was Cuomo, which averaged 289,000 viewers, up 65%, and 45,000 among adults 25-54, up 114%.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
North Texas could see severe storms Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with wind and hail posing the greatest risk.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In one photo, Heming Willis could be seen posing at a table with her two daughters, Evelyn and Mabe.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Set the scene At a cobblestoned intersection in the Tribeca North Historic District, an industrialist red brick facade gives way to eight floors of ethereal Art Deco interior design straight out of the South of France.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Future plans include repurposing the building’s former drive-thru lane into an outdoor cafe and adding new jellyfish murals to its front facade.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Hurt played one of the New York socialites who falls into the web of deceit created by a charismatic young man (Will Smith) pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Mar. 2026
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But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Alongside the conference programme, the SXSW London Music Festival will showcase more than 200 artists, spanning emerging voices and established acts such as Tiwa Savage, ODUMODUBLVCK, Rachel Chinouriri and Circa Waves.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
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The amphitheater, where bandleader Cesar LaMonaca led an orchestra under the moonlight for nearly 50 years, was gone, eventually replaced and moved a bit north and booked with acts of the day.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Justice Department, which is ultimately responsible for bringing criminal cases of insider trading, is acting, all too often, as an arm of the White House.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Annual middle-class income requirements are high, ranging from $80,000–$90,000 for a single adult to over $130,000 for families, with housing and childcare acting as primary cost drivers.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Department of the Treasury last Thursday designated Hayat Yolu as a key player in a covert global network that uses the guise of humanitarian aid to raise money overseas.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
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But sometimes the squashing of speech can appear in other guises.—
Andrea Valdez,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playacting. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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