feign
To pretend to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury.
Feign is highly focused on physical or emotional states. You feign illness to skip school, or feign surprise when you already knew about a party. It is an active performance of a state of being.
Word relationships
- pretend: Pretend is a broader, more common word used by children and adults alike, whereas feign has a slightly more literary and deliberate tone.
- sham: Sham implies a highly deliberate, often cheap or vulgar trick to deceive, whereas feigning can be subtle and polite.
- experience: To experience is to genuinely feel or undergo a state or emotion, rather than pretending to.
Commonly confused with
- fawn: Fawn means to display exaggerated flattery or affection, while feign means to pretend.
Word family
- feigned (adjective): Simulated or pretended; insincere.
Collocations
- feign illness
- feign surprise
- feign ignorance
Idioms & expressions
- play possum
- put on an act
Example sentences
- "The child decided to feign a stomach ache so that he could avoid going to school on the day of the big test." A classic excuse to avoid an unpleasant obligation.
- "She managed to feign interest in his long, tedious lecture, nodding her head while her mind wandered elsewhere." Social politeness in an awkward situation.
Memory hook
Feign sounds like 'faint'. Think of a Victorian lady pretending to 'faint' to get out of an awkward conversation. Fainting to pretend you are sick.
When not to use
Do not use when describing the forgery of documents or physical objects; feign is almost always applied to human behavior and physical/mental states.
Fun facts
- In the animal kingdom, opossums are famous for their ability to feign death—a biological defense mechanism known as thanatopsis.
Explore more words
unfeigned, feint, disingenuous, subterfuge, pretentious, artifice
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.