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feign
Use
Feign
in a sentence
feign
/
feɪn
/
Show Spelled
[
feyn
]
Show IPA
verb (used with object)
1.
to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of:
to feign sickness.
2.
to invent fictitiously or deceptively, as a story or an excuse.
3.
to imitate deceptively:
to feign another's voice.
verb (used without object)
4.
to make believe; pretend:
She's only feigning, she isn't really ill.
Origin:
1250–1300;
Middle English
fei
(
g
)
nen
<
Old French
feign-,
present stem of
feindre
<
Latin
fingere
to shape, invent, feign
Related forms
feign·er,
noun
feign·ing·ly,
adverb
un·feign·ing,
adjective
un·feign·ing·ly,
adverb
Can be confused:
fain
,
faint
,
feign,
feint
.
Synonyms
4.
See
pretend
.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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feign
Relevant Questions
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00:10
Feign
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is
abstain
. Does it mean:
So is
recumbent
. Does it mean:
So is
cogent
. Does it mean:
deviating from or inconsistent with the common order, form, or rule; not fitting into a common or type or pattern
to hold oneself back voluntarily, especially from something regarded as improper or unhealthy
lying down; reclining; leaning.
pompous or bombastic; worthless or cheap
deliberate breach of faith or trust; faithlessness; treachery:
convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
feign
(feɪn)
—
vb
1.
to put on a show of (a quality or emotion); pretend:
to feign innocence
2.
(
tr
) to make up; invent:
to feign an excuse
3.
(
tr
) to copy; imitate:
to feign someone's laugh
[C13: from Old French
feindre
to pretend, from Latin
fingere
to form, shape, invent]
'feigner
—
n
'feigningly
—
adv
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
feign
c.1300, from O.Fr. feign-, pres. stem of feindre "pretend, shirk," from L. fingere "devise, fabricate" (see
fiction
). Related: Feigned; feigning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Even for the strongest of the breed, the best strategy is to
feign
weakness, to
play the damsel in distress.
He would put them down on the lectern and then
feign
surprise that he had
forgotten his syllabi in his office.
The way he managed it was to
feign
stomach trouble and go without eating long
enough to convince the doctor.
Killdeer adults will
feign
a broken wing to distract predators from eggs.
He and the good doctor agree he should
feign
his demise in order to collect on the life insurance.
Also the same approach: it's a movie, so we'd better
feign
movement.
The heathens might
feign
their gods of the woods, from certain monsters sometimes seen.
Vendors may
feign
outrage, but they know how the game is played.
As hatch date approaches, she will begin to
feign
injury if she is disturbed.
The fact that a corporation hiring guerrilla marketers would
feign
innocence is bad enough.
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Related Words
assume
pretend
faint
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possum
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Matching Quote
"But old folks—many
feign
as they were dead,
Unwieldy, slow, heavy, and pale as lead."
-Shakespeare
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Synonyms
counterfeit
fabricate
simulate
imagine
imitate
invent
assume
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Synonym Game
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