dissemble

American  

[dih-sem-buhl] / dɪˈsɛm bəl /

verb (used with object)

dissembled, dissembling

1. to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of.

   to dissemble one's incompetence in business.

   Synonyms:

   dissimulate, disguise, camouflage, hide, mask

2. to put on the appearance of; feign.

   to dissemble innocence.

3. Obsolete. to let pass unnoticed; ignore.

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verb (used without object)

dissembled, dissembling

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

dissemble British  

/ dɪˈsɛmbəl /

verb

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

2. (tr) to pretend; simulate

3. obsolete to ignore

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Other Word Forms

• dissemblance noun
• dissembler noun
• dissembling noun
• dissemblingly adverb
• undissembled adjective
• undissembling adjective
• undissemblingly adverb
• well-dissembled adjective

Etymology

Origin of dissemble

First recorded in 1490–1500; late Middle English dissemile, dissimill, alteration (by association with obsolete semblen, sembel “to bear a resemblance, appear to be”) of Middle English dissimulen “to assume a false appearance, be insincere,” from Old French dessembler, dissembler “to be unlike,” from Latin dissimulāre “to conceal the identity of, disguise”; dis- ¹, resemble, simulate

Example Sentences

But most of us had come to expect our leaders to duck, deal and dissemble until it would be too late.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the rare occasions when Biden has been put on the spot for his role in making the Iraq invasion politically possible, his response has been to dissemble and tell outright lies.

From Salon

When a suspicious F.B.I. agent later interviewed him about the trip, Hua dissembled and said he was only visiting friends and family.

From New York Times

Decks of cards propagate, fly, dissemble and reconstitute after being shredded.

From Washington Post

If the judge could configure his beliefs to get that 1985 promotion, Mr. Kennedy asked in a notation in his diary, how might he dissemble to clinch a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court?

From New York Times