Feign

fāne

Meaning & Definition

verb

to pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury).

She feigned a smile to hide her disappointment.

to invent or imagine; to fabricate.

He feigned illness to avoid going to school.

to represent fictitiously; to simulate.

The actor feigned surprise at the unexpected twist in the play.

Middle English 'feignen', from Old French 'feindre', from Latin 'fingere' meaning 'to shape, form, feign'.

feign ignorance

To pretend not to know about something.

feign interest

To pretend to be interested in something that is not genuinely of interest.

feign sickness

To pretend to be ill in order to avoid responsibility.

feigned

a past participle of feign, meaning pretended.

feigning

the act of pretending or simulation.

fictitious

not real or true; invented.

To act like something is true when it is not.

He's just feigning interest to get her to share her snacks.

To fake it.

She feigned her excitement for the party but actually didn't want to go.