feign

Or that night we stumbled onto a giant controlled burn and saw the flames reach up and tickle the moon and recognized the gnawing feeling that fire is something we can only feign to control.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

The difference: Your guests won’t have to feign enthusiasm after the thirtieth photo of you “holding up” the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

Experts have previously warned the potential for AI chatbots to make things up, be overly-encouraging, and feign empathy can pose risks to young and vulnerable people.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025

But more recently, the narcissist has become a villain of personal and political narratives, a slimy creature that can only feign humanity, at least in the popular imagination.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025

Ned did not feign surprise; Robert's hatred of the Tar- garyens was a madness in him.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

At one point in the clip, he hides in a bullet train toilet and feigns illness when confronted by a conductor.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2023

Noonan feigns surprise at the turnabout while crediting others for his team’s accomplishments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

Miranda feigns being open, but she'd rather shape Che's world to her liking instead of fulfilling the reason for her move to L.A., the purpose of which was to be in her lover's world.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2023

For a while, Farrelly feigns to agree; the film starts like a Super Bowl commercial and ends like a hangover.

From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2022

While Jasper, his spaniel ears a-droop, feigns indifference to the arrival of the cakes.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Which woman will accept his obviously feigned love?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Once you’ve filled out your W-4 and feigned attentiveness during HR trainings, your new boss will start emailing you with tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

As those scenes played in New York, Swift affectionately turned to Saunders and yelled, "YES!" as he giggled and covered his face in feigned shyness.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

“Oliver’s feigned outrage at Dr. Morley was fabricated for ratings and profits at the expense of Dr. Morley’s reputation and personal well-being.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025

He held out his hand and favored me with a smile that had nothing feigned about it.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

In some cases, bureaucrats resorted to ostentatious gestures and outright fraud, feigning adherence to unrealistic targets and masking underperformance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Spaeny: It’s what every actor is thinking except they’re feigning ...

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Those against it feel it places too much emphasis on goalkeepers feigning injury.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

However, the “Hannah Montana” star did not end her mockery there—going on to accuse Cooper of feigning innocence about the proximity of their properties.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

I am still feigning illness, although I’m pretty sure I’m fooling no one.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins