feigned

[feynd]

adjective

1. pretended; sham; counterfeit.

   feigned enthusiasm.

2. assumed; fictitious.

   a feigned name.

3. disguised.

   a feigned voice.

Other Word Forms

• feignedly adverb
• feignedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of feigned¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; feign + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Democrats feigned alarm over the memo’s explication of the unitary executive.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But sentencing minster Jake Richards accused the Conservatives of "feigned outrage" and said the government is "cleaning up the mess" left by the Tories.

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When another student enters and surveys the bodies on the ground in poorly feigned shock, few manage to suppress their giggles.

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Prosecutors argued Patterson had faked a cancer diagnosis to coax the guests to her house, then poisoned them and feigned illness to ward off suspicion.

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“Go on,” Johnson says with a feigned seriousness.

Read more on Los Angeles Times