dissimulate

verb

dis·​sim·​u·​late (ˌ)di-ˈsim-yə-ˌlāt 

dissimulated; dissimulating

transitive verb

: to hide under a false appearance

smiled to dissimulate her urgency

—Alice Glenday

intransitive verb

: dissemble

a politician's ability to dissimulate

dissimulation

(ˌ)di-ˌsim-yə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

dissimulator

(ˈ)di-ˈsim-yə-ˌlā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• dissemble
• let on
• make out
• pretend

Examples of dissimulate in a Sentence

as an actress she had been trained to dissimulate, so she had no trouble hiding her true feelings offstage as well

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dissimilaten, borrowed from Latin dissimulātus, past participle of dissimulāre "to conceal the identity of, feign," from dis- dis- + simulāre, similāre "to pretend, assume the appearance of by one's conduct, imitate" — more at simulate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

dissimulate

verb

dis·​sim·​u·​late (ˈ)dis-ˈim-yə-ˌlāt 

dissimulated; dissimulating

: dissemble

dissimulation

(ˌ)dis-ˌim-yə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

dissimulator

(ˈ)dis-ˈim-yə-ˌlāt-ər 

noun