verb
Meaning 1
To disguise or conceal something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
dissemble
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
/dɪˈsɛmbəl/
-
[dɪˈsɛmbɫ̩]
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S EH1 M B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To feign, dissimulate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To deliberately ignore something; to pretend not to notice.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: disregard, take no notice of, brush off, discount, dissemble, despise, ignore, misheed, misregard, neglect, pass, pass by, pay no heed, put aside, set at nought, shrug off, slough, tune out, unheed, unmind
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To falsely hide one's opinions or feelings.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
make believe with the intent to deceive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He feigned that he was ill
- He shammed a headache
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: feign, sham, pretend, affect
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: misrepresent, belie
Narrower terms: play possum, take a dive, talk through one's hat, bullshit, bull, fake, mouth
verb
Meaning 6
behave unnaturally or affectedly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- She's just acting
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pretend, act
Antonyms: none provided
Narrower terms: simulate, assume, sham, feign
verb
Meaning 7
hide under a false appearance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He masked his disappointment
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cloak, mask
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: disguise, mask
History
Etymology
First attested in the beginning of the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dissemblen, dissimblen, dissemelen, borrowed from Old French dessambler, dissembler, disembler, itself borrowed from Latin dissimulō and modified after sembler, semblance, etc. Doublet of dissimulate, dissimilate, and dissimule. Displaced native Old English mīþan.
Across languages
Translations
52 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: прикривам (prikrivam) — to disguise or conceal something
- French: dissimuler — to disguise or conceal something
- German: verbergen — to disguise or conceal something
- Latin: dissimulō — to disguise or conceal something
- Latin: oblīquō — to disguise or conceal something
- Middle English: dissimulen — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: ukrywać — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: ukryć — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: skrywać — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: skryć — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: taić — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: zatajać — to disguise or conceal something
- Polish: zataić — to disguise or conceal something
- Russian: скрыва́ть (skryvátʹ) — to disguise or conceal something
- Spanish: disimular — to disguise or conceal something
- Swedish: dölja — to disguise or conceal something
- Bulgarian: преструвам се (prestruvam se) — to feign
- German: vortäuschen — to feign
- Māori: whakangaio — to feign
- Māori: whakakikoika — to feign
- Māori: whakangehengehe — to feign
- Polish: udawać — to feign
- Polish: udać — to feign
- Russian: притворя́ться (pritvorjátʹsja) — to feign
- Spanish: fingir — to feign
- Swedish: låtsas — to feign
- Bulgarian: правя се че не виждам (pravja se če ne viždam) — to deliberately ignore something
- German: verbergen — to deliberately ignore something
- German: verhehlen — to deliberately ignore something
- Māori: whātuturi — to deliberately ignore something
- Māori: whakatuturi — to deliberately ignore something
- Māori: whakaturi — to deliberately ignore something
- Māori: whakangongo — to deliberately ignore something
- Māori: pī — to deliberately ignore something
- Middle English: dissimulen — to deliberately ignore something
- Polish: ignorować — to deliberately ignore something
- Polish: zignorować — to deliberately ignore something
- Russian: игнори́ровать (ignorírovatʹ) — to deliberately ignore something
- Swedish: ignorera — to deliberately ignore something
- Swedish: låtsas som att inte — to deliberately ignore something
- Bulgarian: лицемеря (licemerja) — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- German: sich nichts anmerken lassen — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- German: sich verstellen — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- German: heucheln — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Middle English: dissimulen — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Polish: ukrywać — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Polish: ukryć — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Polish: maskować — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Russian: лицемерить (licemeritʹ) — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Russian: притворя́ться (pritvorjátʹsja) — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Spanish: disimular — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings
- Swedish: förställa sig — to falsely hide one's opinions or feelings