SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN adjective pretended; sham; counterfeit: feigned enthusiasm.
assumed; fictitious: a feigned name.
disguised: a feigned voice.
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/ adverb feign·ed·ness , noun 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.
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verb (used without object) to make believe; pretend: She's only feigning, she isn't really ill.
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Origin of feign 1250–1300; Middle English fei(g)nen < Old French feign-, present stem of feindre < Latin fingere to shape, invent, feign
Related forms feign·er , noun feign·ing·ly , adverb un·feign·ing , adjective un·feign·ing·ly , adverb Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for feigned affected ,
assumed ,
simulated ,
pretended ,
fake ,
counterfeit ,
sham ,
fabricated ,
faked ,
artificial ,
fictitious ,
imaginary ,
imitation ,
insincere ,
phony ,
pseudo ,
spurious ,
put-on ,
false Examples from the Web for feigned Contemporary Examples of feigned She says she was released when she feigned acceptance of their dogma.
In the new world order where every diner is a critic, there is a lot of feigned expertise.
What serves as a point of departure in Prague is the defining obsession of The Tragedy of Arthur: what is real, what feigned ?
When Barbara Walters shut him down, he feigned hurt feelings and curled up on Rosie O'Donnell's lap.
He feigned nonchalance; just a couple neighborhood kids messing around, he said, nothing to worry about.
Historical Examples of feigned There was nothing forced nor feigned in these testimonials of loyalty to George the Second.
James Osborne, the youthful cashier, feigned complete paralysis.
Dust Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
In order to prevent running, I feigned illness, too, and went to another.
So surely as she came into the room, however, Martin feigned to fall asleep.
I asked, in feigned surprise, for I could not resist tormenting her a little.
British Dictionary definitions for feigned 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
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Derived Forms feigner , noun feigningly , 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
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Word Origin and History for feigned v. c.1300, from Old French feign- , present participle stem of feindre "pretend, represent, imitate, shirk" (12c.), from Latin fingere "to touch, handle; devise; fabricate, alter, change" (see fiction ). Related: Feigned ; feigning .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
