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dissemble

To dissemble is to hide under a false appearance, to deceive. "When confronted about their human rights record, the Chinese government typically dissembles."

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disassemble / dissemble

Disassemble is to take something apart, like an old car motor, but dissemble is sneaky — it means to hide your true self, like the guy who said he was a mechanic but had never actually seen a motor, much less put one back together.   Continue reading...

Dissemble is a little more complicated than a straight lie or denial. When you dissemble, you disguise your true intentions or feelings behind a false appearance. To dissemble is to pretend that you don't know something, to pretend that you think one way when you act another way. "My boyfriend was dissembling the whole time. He was a married father of two."

DEFINITIONS OF: dissemble

1

v behave unnaturally or affectedly

Synonyms:
act, pretend
act, behave, do
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
Types:
assume, feign, sham, simulate
make a pretence of
play
pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
feint
deceive by a mock action

v make believe with the intent to deceive

Synonyms:
affect, feign, pretend, sham
make, make believe, pretend
represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
Types:
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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
lip-sync, lip-synch
move the lips in synchronization (with recorded speech or song)
Type of:
belie, misrepresent
represent falsely

v hide under a false appearance

Synonyms:
cloak, mask
Type of:
disguise, mask
make unrecognizable
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