feigning

[ fey-ning ]

noun

1. the act of pretending or putting on a show in order to deceive:

   The feigning of hurt feelings is just a manipulative ploy she uses.

adjective

1. putting on a show in order to deceive; pretending:

   “It hurts,” moaned the feigning child on the floor, gripping her ankle in a convincing display of pain.

Other Words From

• feign·ing·ly adverb
• un·feign·ing adjective
• un·feign·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of feigning¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; feign ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun; feign ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

Ruth catches her husband gazing at a photograph of his first wife, Elvira, and feigns indifference.

From Time

Posing as an IT staffer to get access to the corrupt police commissioner who investigated his father’s case, Assane feigns offense when his credentials are questioned.

From Washington Post

I bit my lip and feigned a smile, donned my heavy jacket, and re-strategized the entire week.

From Outside Online

They already know the answer, but they know by feigning ignorance they can create all this debate about it.

From The Daily Beast

The whole point of being a pageant queen is to trot around in your bikini to be ogled at while feigning sexual naiveté.

From The Daily Beast

This was a short time after Obama released his birth certificate and when Trump was feigning a run for president.

From The Daily Beast

They sense you tensing up at peculiar moments, acting skittish, laughing a little too hard, over-feigning outrage or surprise.

From The Daily Beast

“They just said they would be in touch,” I replied, feigning disinterest.

From The Daily Beast

Whether Madame Probasco was feigning or not, the outstanding fact was that the next experiments varied greatly in effectiveness.

From Project Gutenberg

While feigning to talk at their ease as they rode along, the nerves of both of our two friends were strung to the uttermost.

From Project Gutenberg

Almost immediately he encountered the keeper of the prison, gesticulating and feigning a violent anger.

From Project Gutenberg

Invite him to share it, but take none yourself, feigning sudden illness.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the weapons of her armoury was the feigning of anger, and few could stand upright before her wrath.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deceptive
• duplicitous
• false
• insincere
• sanctimonious
• self-righteous
• unnatural