feign

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

At first, Lanthimos uses her character as a spoof of lady-bosses who feign enlightenment while reigning over the same bad workplace.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025

I would feign shock or dismay at its popularity if I didn’t already know that we are a nation of self-serving masochists.

From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2025

Simply put, a player could feign injury to prevent the resumption of play and slow their opponents' momentum - but it is virtually impossible to prove.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2024

I had not yet learned to feign knowledge that I did not possess, and as I had only a vague idea what a B.A. was, I questioned Mathona.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

She feigns outrage loudly, according to people who like her, and yells maniacally, according to people who don’t.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

When I confront the group of boys, one feigns innocence, claiming he’d been speaking to his friend.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

Tedros feigns sympathy but also immediately identifies another way to control Jocelyn.

From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2023

Slant watches over us all; Charles feigns sleep.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

She fell to the ground and, according to her account, feigned death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 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

I feigned disappointment but secretly sighed with relief: The last time I’d come, the pod’s door hadn’t closed, spiking my adrenaline even more during the seven-minute trip across the valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

For real — not like the astonishment Zoë Kravitz feigned in a Golden Globes-set episode of “The Studio,” faking disbelief at the podium when she knew all along that she was going to win.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025

Methuselah feigned indifference, but his natural curiosity soon overcame any chagrin he felt at not being allowed to pass the doorway.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

"Showing awareness could suggest a degree of mutual understanding," but feigning ignorance signals that the issue could become a key bargaining point in any future talks with Trump, Hong said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

A human feigning indifference to a mate she’d chosen.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker