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

The Vault dwellers may have chin-tentacles and sinister secrets, but they understand something essential.In the post-apocalypse, the ability to feign normalcy — and further, to curate pleasure — is a luxury.

From Salon ● May 12, 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

She would always feign surprise and delight and place the leaves in a vase in the middle of the table.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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

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

Greg feigns shock at having to "push the button," but then shrugs out, since nothing much will change if he doesn't do that – or for him personally.

From Salon ● May 15, 2023

Van Gaal and Berhalter have met before, by the way, although the Dutch coach feigns amnesia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2022

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

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Back when he was in first grade, Bennett feigned illness so he could get sent home and spend some time with his dad, whom he hadn’t seen in two weeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

I kind of knew that, but when she had that reaction, which was not feigned at all, that was like a shot of advice from the heart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 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

“Go on,” Johnson says with a feigned seriousness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025

“I’m so lucky that I get to go to four high schools instead of just one,” Ben declared with feigned enthusiasm.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

"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

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’m sorry,” she said in Kerch, feigning confusion and keeping to the language of the Menagerie.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo