dissemble

[ dih-sem-buhl ]

/ dɪˈsɛm bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dissemble ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

disseize, disseizee, disseizin, disselboom, dissemblance, dissemble, disseminate, disseminated, disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, disseminated lipogranulomatosis

Origin of dissemble

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

SYNONYMS FOR dissemble

1 mask, hide, camouflage, dissimulate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dissemble ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

dis·sem·bler, noundis·sem·bling·ly, adverbun·dis·sem·bled, adjectiveun·dis·sem·bling, adjective

un·dis·sem·bling·ly, adverbwell-dis·sem·bled, adjective

Can be confused

disassemble dissemble

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

Examples from the Web for dissembler

One evening, when Crauford had joined Glendower in his solitary wanderings, the dissembler renewed his attacks.
The Disowned, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
He was something of a dissembler, was the skipper—when his blood was cool.
The Harbor Master|Theodore Goodridge Roberts
But if a man cannot obtain to that judgment, then it is left to him generally to be close, and a dissembler.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 3|Various
He was not a hypocrite, indeed, as to his virtues—a dissembler only in his ambition.
Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

How are hypocrite and dissembler contrasted with each other?
English Synonyms and Antonyms|James Champlin Fernald

British Dictionary definitions for dissembler

dissemble

/ (dɪˈsɛmbəl) /

verb

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

(tr) to pretend; simulate

obsolete to ignore

Derived Forms

dissemblance, 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