feigned

adjective

ˈfānd 

1

: fictitious

Was his account actual or feigned?

2

: not genuine or real

showered him with feigned compliments

Synonyms

• affected
• artificial
• assumed
• bogus
• contrived
• factitious
• fake
• false
• forced
• mechanical
• mock
• phony
• phoney
• plastic
• pretended
• pseudo
• put-on
• sham
• simulated
• spurious
• strained
• unnatural

Examples of feigned in a Sentence

the feigned applause that polite people give after a bad concert

the feigned looks of innocence I got when I asked who had broken the lamp

Recent Examples on the Web

If responding to questions with feigned but believable thoughtfulness was all that mattered, Lindsey Graham would be President. —Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

As the knife drew closer, Jennings, whose back was to the camera, turned around and leapt back in feigned terror. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Cruising through the rollout without addressing much controversy challenges XOXO’s feigned edginess. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 June 2024

Such attacks belie the Taliban’s feigned moderation and point to the danger of sending select types of foreign assistance to Afghanistan that could end up in the control of the network. —Melissa Skorka, Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feyned, feigned, from past participle of feynen "to feign"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1