Feign — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

make believe with the intent to deceive

make a pretence of

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/fˈeɪn/

🇬🇧British English

/fˈeɪn/

🇮🇳Indian English

/fˈeɪn/

1 syllable Say it as /fˈeɪn/.

Examples

He feigned that he was ill
He shammed a headache
She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

pretend sham dissemble affect assume simulate

Parts of Speech

verb	make believe with the intent to deceive “He feigned that he was ill”
verb	make a pretence of “She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger”

Word Forms

feigning	noun	pretending with intention to deceive
sham	noun	something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
shammer	noun	someone shirking their duty by feigning illness or incapacity
pretender	noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
pretense	noun	pretending with intention to deceive
pretending	noun	the act of giving a false appearance
dissembler	noun	a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
dissembling	noun	pretending with intention to deceive
simulation	noun	the act of giving a false appearance

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

vortäuschen

mit der Absicht zu täuschen glauben machen

🇫🇷French

feindre

faire croire avec l'intention de tromper

🇪🇸Spanish

fingir

hacer creer con la intención de engañar

🇮🇹Italian

fingere

far credere con l'intento di ingannare

🇳🇱Dutch

veinzen

doen geloven met de bedoeling om te misleiden

🇵🇹Portuguese

fingir

fazer de conta com a intenção de enganar

🇷🇺Russian

притворяться

притворяться с намерением обмануть

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बहाना करना

धोखा देने के इरादे से विश्वास करो

🇧🇩Bengali

প্রতারণা করা

প্রতারণা করার উদ্দেশ্যে বিশ্বাস করা

🇮🇳Tamil

போலி

ஏமாற்றும் நோக்கத்துடன் நம்புங்கள்

🇮🇳Telugu

నకిలీ

మోసం చేయాలనే ఉద్దేశ్యంతో నమ్మించండి

🇮🇳Marathi

खोटे बोलणे

फसवणूक करण्याच्या हेतूने विश्वास ठेवा

🇮🇳Gujarati

ઢોંગ

છેતરવાના ઇરાદાથી વિશ્વાસ કરો

🇮🇳Kannada

ನೆಪ

ಮೋಸ ಮಾಡುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದ ನಂಬುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വ്യാജം

വഞ്ചിക്കുക എന്ന ഉദ്ദേശത്തോടെ വിശ്വസിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਝੂਠ ਬੋਲਣਾ

ਧੋਖਾ ਦੇਣ ਦੇ ਇਰਾਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ ਕਰੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

بہانہ

دھوکہ دینے کے ارادے سے یقین کرو

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

假装

故意欺骗

🇯🇵Japanese

ふりをする

騙すつもりで信じさせる

🇰🇷Korean

가장하다

속이려는 의도로 믿다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

giả vờ

tin tưởng với ý định lừa dối

🇹🇭Thai

ประดิษฐ์

เชื่อด้วยเจตนาที่จะหลอกลวง

🇮🇩Indonesian

berpura-pura

percaya dengan maksud untuk menipu

🇵🇭Filipino

magpanggap

maniwala na may layuning manlinlang

🇲🇾Malay

berpura-pura

percaya dengan niat untuk menipu

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

اختلق

تصديق بقصد الخداع

🇮🇷Persian

وانمود کردن

به قصد فریب باور کن

🇹🇷Turkish

numara yapmak

aldatmak amacıyla inandırmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַעֲמִיד פָּנִים

לגרום להאמין מתוך כוונה להונות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'feign'?

The primary meaning of 'feign' is 'make believe with the intent to deceive'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'feign' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'feign' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'feign' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'feign' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'feign' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'feign' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'feign' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'feign' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'feign' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'feign' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted