DISSEMBLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dissemble mean? 

• DISSEMBLE (verb)
  The verb DISSEMBLE has 3 senses:

1. make believe with the intent to deceive

2. hide under a false appearance

3. behave unnaturally or affectedly

  Familiarity information: DISSEMBLE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISSEMBLE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they dissemble    ... he / she / it dissembles   
Past simple: dissembled   
Past participle: dissembled   
-ing form: dissembling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make believe with the intent to deceive

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

affect; dissemble; feign; pretend; sham

Context example:

He shammed a headache

Hypernyms (to "dissemble" is one way to...):

belie; misrepresent (represent falsely)

Verb group:

make; make believe; pretend (represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dissemble"):

play possum (to pretend to be dead)

take a dive (pretend to be knocked out, as of a boxer)

bull; bullshit; fake; talk through one's hat (speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths)

mouth (articulate silently; form words with the lips only)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

dissembler (a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives)

dissembling (pretending with intention to deceive)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hide under a false appearance

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

cloak; dissemble; mask

Context example:

He masked his disappointment

Hypernyms (to "dissemble" is one way to...):

disguise; mask (make unrecognizable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Behave unnaturally or affectedly

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

act; dissemble; pretend

Context example:

She's just acting

Verb group:

act; behave; do (behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dissemble"):

assume; feign; sham; simulate (make a pretence of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

But in this, our last interview of friendship, I approached her with a sense of guilt that almost took from me the power of dissembling.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)