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View synonyms for disguise

disguise

[ dis-gahyz, dih-skahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, dis·guised, dis·guis·ing.
  1. to change the appearance or guise of so as to conceal identity or mislead, as by means of deceptive garb:

    The king was disguised as a peasant.

  2. to conceal or cover up the truth or actual character of by a counterfeit form or appearance; misrepresent:

    to disguise one's intentions.

    Synonyms: dissemble, hide, mask, cloak



noun

  1. that which disguises; something that serves or is intended for concealment of identity, character, or quality; a deceptive covering, condition, manner, etc.:

    Noble words can be the disguise of base intentions.

  2. the makeup, mask, costume, or overall changed appearance of an entertainer:

    a clown's disguise.

  3. the act of disguising:

    to speak without disguise.

  4. the state of being disguised; masquerade:

    The gods appeared in disguise.

disguise

/ dɪsˈɡaɪzɪdlɪ; dɪsˈɡaɪz /

verb

  1. to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something)
  2. tr to misrepresent in order to obscure the actual nature or meaning

    to disguise the facts

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

  1. a mask, costume, or manner that disguises
  2. the act of disguising or the state of being disguised
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • disˈguisable, adjective
  • disˈguiser, noun
  • disguisedly, adverb
  • disˈguised, adjective
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Other Words From

  • dis·guisa·ble adjective
  • dis·guised·ly adverb
  • dis·guised·ness noun
  • dis·guiser noun
  • dis·guisement noun
  • nondis·guised adjective
  • predis·guise noun verb (used with object) predisguised predisguising
  • undis·guisa·ble adjective
  • undis·guised adjective
  • undis·guised·ly adverb
  • well-dis·guised adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of disguise1

1275–1325; Middle English disg ( u ) isen < Anglo-French, Old French de ( s ) guiser, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + -guiser, derivative of guise guise
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Word History and Origins

Origin of disguise1

C14: from Old French desguisier, from des- dis- 1+ guise manner; see guise
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Idioms and Phrases

see blessing in disguise .
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Example Sentences

He mentioned on Football Night in America that losing Dak might be a “blessing in disguise.”

The historian Kim Phillips-Fein thinks this may be at least a small blessing in disguise.

A new normal of a mere 100 guests, to begin with, was not something many couples could have imagined, but is a change that they see as a blessing in disguise.

From Quartz

In August, Logically helped alert Utah officials to the fact that an anti-sex-trafficking event was actually a QAnon march in disguise, leading to its permit being revoked.

From Ozy

In that sense, the reduced supply of khat — even without a formal ban — has been a blessing in disguise, says Somali anti-khat campaigner Abukar Awale, who is backing a petition to Somalia’s government that seeks to make the drug illegal.

From Ozy

And Pope Alexander VI had the painter Pinturicchio disguise his mistress as the Virgin Mary in one fresco.

Tumid and unstoppable, there is little that new wallpaper or re-poured driveways can do to disguise it.

Maybe, then, the Hathahate phenomenon is a blessing in disguise.

Roberts and the Republicans are trying to portray the independent as a Barack Obama supporter who is just a Democrat in disguise.

Rivers, it had emerged, had told them she was Ruth Madoff in disguise, and not to speak to her or approach her when she walked in.

Napoleon landed at Elba at an early hour in disguise, with a sergeant's company of marines.

It was a habit with him to disguise himself in ordinary clothing and then to go out and mingle with the common people.

In short, I shall begin life all over again—as if I were a criminal in disguise instead of the sport of circumstances.

But then who is there that can bear so total a disguise as filth and untidiness spread over a woman?

Isn't that Squid Murphy over there in the corner, trying to disguise himself as a corner of that safe?

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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