Link Centre Dictionary

feign

UK/feɪn/ US/ˈfeɪn/ uncommon

verb

1.

make believe with the intent to deceive

  • “He feigned that he was ill”
  • “He shammed a headache”
Synonyms
2.

make a pretence of

  • “She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger”
  • “he feigned sleep”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English feynen, feinen, borrowed from Old French feindre (“to pretend”), from Latin fingere (“to form, shape, invent”). Compare French feignant (present participle of feindre, literally “feigning”). Also compare feint, figment and fiction.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.