feign

American  

[feyn] / feɪn /

verb (used with object)

• feigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• feigned,
  past participle,  past
• feigning
  present participle

1. to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of.

   to feign sickness.

2. to invent fictitiously or deceptively, as a story or an excuse.

3. to imitate deceptively.

   to feign another's voice.

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verb (used without object)

• feigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• feigned,
  past participle,  past
• feigning
  present participle

1. to make believe; pretend.

   She's only feigning, she isn't really ill.

feign British  

/ feɪn /

verb

1. to put on a show of (a quality or emotion); pretend

   to feign innocence

2. (tr) to make up; invent

   to feign an excuse

3. (tr) to copy; imitate

   to feign someone's laugh

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Synonym Usage

See pretend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• feigner
  noun
• feigningly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• feigning
  present
• feigned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• feign
  simple
• feigns
  simple
• have feigned
  perfect
• has feigned
  perfect
• am feigning
  progressive
• are feigning
  progressive
• is feigning
  progressive
• have been feigning
  perfect progressive
• has been feigning
  perfect progressive

Past

• feigned
  simple
• had feigned
  perfect
• was feigning
  progressive
• were feigning
  progressive
• had been feigning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will feign
  simple
• will have feigned
  perfect
• will be feigning
  progressive
• will have been feigning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of feign

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English fei(g)nen, from Old French feign-, present stem of faindre, feindre, from Latin fingere “to feign, invent, shape”

Explanation

For a more formal way to say pretend to or imitate, choose the verb feign. You might feign indifference when you hear about some gossip, but you're probably dying to know. Feign comes from the Latin fingere, "to devise, fabricate." The word fiction comes from the same source, so if you feign something such as sleep, you give off the fiction that you are sleeping. This can be done to be polite but also to deceive such as when you feign an injury or the flu so you can stay home from school or work. You can also feign an accent, though some are better at this than others.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

feign feigns feigned feigning

Or that night we stumbled onto a giant controlled burn and saw the flames reach up and tickle the moon and recognized the gnawing feeling that fire is something we can only feign to control.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

The perpetrator would have to keep at least one clue from his victims to feign innocence, but a subtle inconsistency would allow others to infer his guilt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Experts have previously warned the potential for AI chatbots to make things up, be overly-encouraging, and feign empathy can pose risks to young and vulnerable people.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025

But more recently, the narcissist has become a villain of personal and political narratives, a slimy creature that can only feign humanity, at least in the popular imagination.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025

In the morning I woke Mandy and tried to convince her to feign illness so she could call Lucinda immediately.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

When I confront the group of boys, one feigns innocence, claiming he’d been speaking to his friend.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024

Noonan feigns surprise at the turnabout while crediting others for his team’s accomplishments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

Tedros feigns sympathy but also immediately identifies another way to control Jocelyn.

From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2023

Greg feigns shock at having to "push the button," but then shrugs out, since nothing much will change if he doesn't do that – or for him personally.

From Salon ● May 15, 2023

While Jasper, his spaniel ears a-droop, feigns indifference to the arrival of the cakes.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Nevertheless, a judge was impressed, or feigned to be, with an obviously disingenuous antitrust claim.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The antics of the “bewitched” girls are so clearly feigned that the audience can recognize the corrupt motivations of the powerful people who are feeding the frenzy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

As those scenes played in New York, Swift affectionately turned to Saunders and yelled, "YES!" as he giggled and covered his face in feigned shyness.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

“We’re supposed to be bright and alert pupils with intelligent and witty repartee,” Cumberbatch says, straightening up with feigned attention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025

Anna May feigned offense, then tipped up her chin and said with exaggerated loftiness, “And actually, I was one of just three lantern holders.”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Manager Dave Roberts and his pitching coaches haven’t been particularly forthcoming, either, feigning ignorance about the glove that looks as big as Sasaki’s head.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Spaeny: It’s what every actor is thinking except they’re feigning ...

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

However, the “Hannah Montana” star did not end her mockery there—going on to accuse Cooper of feigning innocence about the proximity of their properties.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

Daniel Farke accused Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" as Manchester City denied his Leeds team a precious Premier League point on Saturday at Etihad Stadium.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

A child feigning illness, afraid to call because after a moment's discussion, the conversation would run so: “Yes, Captain, I feel better already. I'll be in at ten o'clock tonight.”

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury