feigned

[ feynd ]

/ feɪnd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR feigned ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pretended; sham; counterfeit: feigned enthusiasm.

assumed; fictitious: a feigned name.

disguised: a feigned voice.

Nearby words

feeze, fef, fehling's solution, fei, feign, feigned, feijoa, feijoada, feininger, feinschmecker, feint

Origin of feigned

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at feign, -ed²

Related forms

feign·ed·ly

[fey-nid-lee] /ˈfeɪ nɪd li/, adverbfeign·ed·ness, noun

Definition for feigned (2 of 2)

feign

[ feyn ]

/ feɪn /

verb (used with object)

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)

to make believe; pretend: She's only feigning, she isn't really ill.

Origin of feign

1250–1300; Middle English fei(g)nen < Old French feign-, present stem of feindre < Latin fingere to shape, invent, feign

SYNONYMS FOR feign

4 See pretend.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR feign ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

feign·er, nounfeign·ing·ly, adverbun·feign·ing, adjectiveun·feign·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confused

fain faint feign feint

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

Examples from the Web for feigned

She says she was released when she feigned acceptance of their dogma.
Is This The Scariest Doomsday Sect in China?|Brendon Hong|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the new world order where every diner is a critic, there is a lot of feigned expertise.
Do Michelin Stars Still Matter?|Brandon Presser|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What serves as a point of departure in Prague is the defining obsession of The Tragedy of Arthur: what is real, what feigned?
The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips: Review|James Shapiro|April 27, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When Barbara Walters shut him down, he feigned hurt feelings and curled up on Rosie O'Donnell's lap.
When Celebs Get Wasted|Gina Piccalo|December 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He feigned nonchalance; just a couple neighborhood kids messing around, he said, nothing to worry about.
How a Rich Suburban Girl Became a Drug Kingpin|Jeff Deeney|July 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Bestoujef, who spoke perfectly, feigned stammering, and had the courage to simulate this defect for seventeen years.
Two Chancellors|Julian Klaczko
I feigned love, whispered compliments, in short, so skillfully did I dissimulate that she believed I was Love's own captive.
The Satyricon, Volume 5 (Crotona Affairs)|Petronius Arbiter
She did, or feigned to do so, for the thing offers many difficulties, into which we shall not enter here.
The Phantom World|Augustin Calmet
Let this drink up your sorrow: seeing these are not feigned words to comfort you, but the thing is so real and undoubted a truth.
Life Without and Life Within|Margaret Fuller
"The sooner I start, the sooner I shall be back, I suppose," she answered with feigned reluctance.
Shifting Sands|Sara Ware Bassett

British Dictionary definitions for feigned

feign

/ (feɪn) /

verb

to put on a show of (a quality or emotion); pretendto feign innocence

(tr) to make up; inventto feign an excuse

(tr) to copy; imitateto feign someone's laugh

Derived Forms

feigner, nounfeigningly, adverb

Word Origin for feign

C13: from Old French feindre to pretend, from Latin fingere to form, shape, invent

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