FEIGNING

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does feigning mean? 

• FEIGNING (noun)
  The noun FEIGNING has 2 senses:

1. pretending with intention to deceive

2. the act of giving a false appearance

  Familiarity information: FEIGNING used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FEIGNING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Pretending with intention to deceive

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

dissembling; feigning; pretence; pretense

Hypernyms ("feigning" is a kind of...):

deceit; deception; misrepresentation (a misleading falsehood)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "feigning"):

bluff (pretense that your position is stronger than it really is)

pretext; stalking-horse (something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason)

hypocrisy; lip service (an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction)

Derivation:

feign (make believe with the intent to deceive)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of giving a false appearance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

feigning; pretence; pretending; pretense; simulation

Context example:

his conformity was only pretending

Hypernyms ("feigning" is a kind of...):

deceit; deception; dissembling; dissimulation (the act of deceiving)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "feigning"):

appearance; show (pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression)

make-believe; pretend (the enactment of a pretense)

affectation; affectedness; mannerism; pose (a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display)

charade; masquerade (making a false outward show)

Derivation:

feign (make a pretence of)

 Context examples 

“Is Mr. Barkis at home, ma'am?” I said, feigning to speak roughly to her.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Mrs. Weston was acting no part, feigning no feelings in all that she said to him in favour of the event.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

“What if he should be feigning this?” I asked, still holding his wrist.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Now this rock belonged to fierce giants who lived upon it; and as he saw three of them striding about, he thought to himself, I can only save myself by feigning to be asleep; so he laid himself down as if he were in a sound sleep.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)