dissemble

[dih-sem-buhl]

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verb (used with object), dis·sem·bled, dis·sem·bling.

to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of: to dissemble one's incompetence in business.

to put on the appearance of; feign: to dissemble innocence.

Obsolete. to let pass unnoticed; ignore.

verb (used without object), dis·sem·bled, dis·sem·bling.

to conceal one's true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense; speak or act hypocritically.

Origin of dissemble

1490–1500; alteration (by association with obsolete semble to resemble) of Middle English dissimulen < Latin dissimulāre. See dis-¹, simulate

Related formsdis·sem·bler, noundis·sem·bling·ly, adverbun·dis·sem·bled, adjectiveun·dis·sem·bling, adjectiveun·dis·sem·bling·ly, adverbwell-dis·sem·bled, adjective

Can be confuseddisassemble dissemble

Synonyms for dissemble

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dissemble ON THESAURUS.COM

1. mask, hide, camouflage, dissimulate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dissemble

pussyfoot, feign, dissimulate, hide, conceal, cover, whitewash, mask, cloak, camouflage, shroud, signify, stonewall, simulate, fake, affect, counterfeit, pass, falsify, sham

Examples from the Web for dissemble

Contemporary Examples of dissemble

It took German soldiers just 36 hours and 27 crates to dissemble the entire chamber and ship it to a castle in Königsberg.
The Biggest Art Heist of WWII is Still Unsolved
October 15, 2014
Instead of too big to fail, they embrace the unfettered right to cheat and dissemble.
We Need a New Ross Perot
Joel Kotkin
April 23, 2010
But it apparently made it easier for Pentagon officials to dissemble about them.
The Bogus Torture Coverup
Scott Horton
May 29, 2009

Historical Examples of dissemble

She had meant to wait; but, with his keen eyes on her, she could not dissemble.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
It was hard to dissemble still, to tempt him to say something that would madden me!
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
They consult, when they know not how to dissemble; they determine, when they cannot mistake.
Tacitus on Germany
Tacitus
To dissemble this he had availed himself of the fact that Figaro was a Spaniard.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
The contempt he did not trouble to dissemble served but to goad them on.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for dissemble

dissemble

verb

to conceal (one's real motives, emotions, etc) by pretence

(tr) to pretend; simulate

obsolete to ignore

Derived Formsdissemblance, noundissembler, noundissembling, noun, adjectivedissemblingly, adverb

Word Origin for dissemble

C15: from earlier dissimulen, from Latin dissimulāre; probably influenced by obsolete semble to resemble

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

Word Origin and History for dissemble

early 15c. (implied in dissemblable), apparently a variant of Middle English dissimule (influenced by Middle French dessembler or English resemble), late 14c., from Old French dissimuler, from Latin dissimulare (see dissimulation). Related: Dissembled; dissembling.