1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the feigned applause that polite people give after a bad concert
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
the feigned looks of innocence I got when I asked who had broken the lamp
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of
I would never feign illness just to get out of a test
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of feigned
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2024
With feigned incredulity, Darrow asked whether Bryan hadn’t ever tried to learn about older and other civilizations.
—Lisa Grunwald, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Holidays are performative - Mikey Day appears to demonstrate his feigned love for his son’s gift.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2023
Temple’s feigned cheeriness and Leigh’s layered sourness are especially good when the characters go head to head.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for feigned 
Adjective
Hall is tasked with delivering gouts of exposition and staring in feigned wonderment at screensaver-resembling new regions of the center of the Earth.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2024
With feigned incredulity, Darrow asked whether Bryan hadn’t ever tried to learn about older and other civilizations.
—Lisa Grunwald, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Holidays are performative - Mikey Day appears to demonstrate his feigned love for his son’s gift.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2023
Temple’s feigned cheeriness and Leigh’s layered sourness are especially good when the characters go head to head.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for feigned
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feigned
Adjective
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The ancient tradition would be to hold sacrificial ceremonies, but today, people hold mock sacrifices to celebrate.Amanda Cappelli, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2024
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The long-sleeve gown featured a mock neck and ruching at the waist.Catherine Santino, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In 2017, then State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman indicted Newman on 58 counts, following a two-year investigation nicknamed Operation Vandelay Industries, a nod to George Costanza’s fake latex company on Seinfeld.Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 25 Dec. 2024
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Not a temporary tattoo or a fake one to trick people online.Amanda Rosa, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), a dying old man who pretended to be Gi-hun’s ally in the game.Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
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In the meantime, Griffin pretended to like the other gift.Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Zuckerberg and Trump have had a strained relationship in recent years.Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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Jansson started 37 games for Leeds but his relationship with Marcelo Bielsa, the head coach at the time, had become strained.Jay Harris, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Here’s who reimagined the character as a clever but underestimated woman Sept. 5, 2024 Bates has particularly relished the opportunity to play the double life of her character, who is constantly three steps ahead of those around her.Max Gao, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
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Levinson family Levinson, who lives in Mantua, N.J,, is cancer-free after a year of treatment that included chemotherapy and a double mastectomy.Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Some cognitive scientists have assumed that all humans, whatever their local quirks, reason about time using spatial metaphors, yet at least one language, Tupi-Kawahíb, evidently lacks any mapping between time and space—not left to right, back to front, or downhill to uphill.Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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The canal was under joint American–Panamanian control until 1999, when Panama assumed full control.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Nashville) Letter:Trump's false claims on pet-eating scared me into hiding my cat.David Plazas, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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They were charged in a 39-count indictment that included conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud.Diane J. Cho, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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While lip reading is commonly used as a way for those with hearing disabilities to understand speech and conversations, it’s also called upon for legal matters and police investigations.Emily Holgate, refinery29.com, 19 Jan. 2024
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Also, lip skin is thinner, making blood vessels more apparent.Scott LaFee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near feigned
Cite this Entry
“Feigned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feigned. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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