Feign (Verb)
Meaning 1
Make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- She put on an act to feign disinterest, trying not to reveal her true intentions.
- He would often feign a British accent to confuse his friends.
- The politician feigned outrage during the televised debate, carefully crafting her response.
- The exhausted employee feigned enthusiasm about the long commute.
- The child attempted to feign sleep in hopes of avoiding bedtime.
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Meaning 2
Make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep".
Classification
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing.
Examples
- The politician pretended to be in agreement with her opponents, but in reality she couldn't have been further from it, rather she would feign a unified front to sway public opinion.
- He feigned illness to get out of attending the lecture, a plan that easily fooled the disinterested professor.
- During her interview, she would feign self-deprecation to deflect serious questions about her qualifications.
- In a desperate attempt to remain inconspicuous, the spy feigned being lost in thought to observe the surroundings.
- In order to avoid confrontation, he feigned disinterest and let the conversation slide by without notice.