feign

Verb

Verb Forms: feigned, feigning, feigns

To pretend to be affected by something; to sham.
make believe with the intent to deceive
- "He feigned that he was ill"
make a pretence of
- "he feigned sleep"
To make a false show or pretence of; to counterfeit or simulate.
To imagine; to invent; to pretend to do something.
To make an action as if doing one thing, but actually doing another, for example to trick an opponent; to feint.
To hide or conceal.

Examples

He feigned that he had gone home at the appointed time.
He tried to feign indifference, but his racing heart revealed his excitement for the win.
Jessica feigned the fact that she had not done her homework.
The pupil feigned sickness on the day of his exam.
They feigned her signature on the cheque.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English feynen, feinen, borrowed from Old French feindre (“to pretend”), from Latin fingere (“to form, shape, invent”). Compare French feignant (present participle of feindre, literally “feigning”). Also compare feint and fiction.

Synonyms

affect, assume, dissemble, pretend, sham, simulate, deceive, front, put on airs

Scrabble Score: 9

feign: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
feign: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
feign: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

feign: valid Words With Friends Word