feign
Americanverb (used with object)
-
feigns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feigned,
past participle, past
-
feigning
present participle
-
to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of.
to feign sickness.
-
to invent fictitiously or deceptively, as a story or an excuse.
-
to imitate deceptively.
to feign another's voice.
verb (used without object)
-
feigns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feigned,
past participle, past
-
feigning
present participle
verb
-
to put on a show of (a quality or emotion); pretend
to feign innocence
-
(tr) to make up; invent
to feign an excuse
-
(tr) to copy; imitate
to feign someone's laugh
Synonym Usage
See pretend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
feignsimple
-
feignssimple
-
have feignedperfect
-
has feignedperfect
-
am feigningprogressive
-
are feigningprogressive
-
is feigningprogressive
-
have been feigningperfect progressive
-
has been feigningperfect progressive
Past
-
feignedsimple
-
had feignedperfect
-
was feigningprogressive
-
were feigningprogressive
-
had been feigningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing feign
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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Romeo and Juliet
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ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The difference: Your guests won’t have to feign enthusiasm after the thirtieth photo of you “holding up” the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
At first, Lanthimos uses her character as a spoof of lady-bosses who feign enlightenment while reigning over the same bad workplace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
I would feign shock or dismay at its popularity if I didn’t already know that we are a nation of self-serving masochists.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2025
For now, though, there is no need to feign graciousness—and there is no need to pretend that any of this is or ever will be truly OK.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2024
Holmes did not think her so clever as to feign coma, but he held tight just the same.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
She feigns outrage loudly, according to people who like her, and yells maniacally, according to people who don’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Like everything else in the movie, it’s artifice that feigns at being fact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
When I confront the group of boys, one feigns innocence, claiming he’d been speaking to his friend.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024
Tedros feigns sympathy but also immediately identifies another way to control Jocelyn.
From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
While Jasper, his spaniel ears a-droop, feigns indifference to the arrival of the cakes.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
I kind of knew that, but when she had that reaction, which was not feigned at all, that was like a shot of advice from the heart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 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
When another student enters and surveys the bodies on the ground in poorly feigned shock, few manage to suppress their giggles.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2025
“Go on,” Johnson says with a feigned seriousness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025
Joffrey feigned a yawn and turned to his younger brother.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
"Showing awareness could suggest a degree of mutual understanding," but feigning ignorance signals that the issue could become a key bargaining point in any future talks with Trump, Hong said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
In some cases, bureaucrats resorted to ostentatious gestures and outright fraud, feigning adherence to unrealistic targets and masking underperformance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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
A human feigning indifference to a mate she’d chosen.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
