1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
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2
as in to dissimulate
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissemble
The defense of Putin’s regime has been offered by people operating as literary critics, ever disassembling and dissembling.
—
Timothy Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
That same week, Altman made headlines at a Senate hearing by asking to be regulated — wowing senators who were more accustomed to tech CEOs dissembling or responding evasively to questions.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
That year, with 23,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, the administration was still dissembling about the American role in the war.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
As are Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, always knowing the precise right play: who’s dissembling, where’s the weak spot.
—Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for dissemble 
Timothy Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
That same week, Altman made headlines at a Senate hearing by asking to be regulated — wowing senators who were more accustomed to tech CEOs dissembling or responding evasively to questions.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
That year, with 23,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, the administration was still dissembling about the American role in the war.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
As are Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, always knowing the precise right play: who’s dissembling, where’s the weak spot.
—Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for dissemble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissemble
Verb
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After the first, McLaurin tried his own idea, which was pretending to pull a mask down over his head.—
Sam Fortier The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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Laurel continues to mock both Emily and Ryan, and then pulls out a book to pretend to read to ignore everyone.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Watkins, who scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season without converting from the spot, has assumed penalty-taking duties this campaign.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
The Athletic,
30 Jan. 2025
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Regardless of the merits of those reasons, Republicans should not fall into the trap of assuming that a man who has alienated many of his former friends, family, and allies must therefore be good.—
The Editors,
National Review,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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While helpful in addressing data scarcity and simulating scenarios, synthetic data can amplify biases and inaccuracies, compounding existing risks in AI training.—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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Dormancy-breaking treatments are needed to simulate the life cycle plants have adapted to in the wild.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
17 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dissemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissemble. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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