1
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a crafty child given to frequent dissembling to get what she wants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceit
the pretending of having virtues, principles, or beliefs that one in fact does not have
in the end the preacher's smarmy dissembling is discovered, and he is exposed as a fraud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in dissimulating
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in lying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissembling
Noun
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And how could Faas have knowingly perpetrated such deception?—
Gary Knight,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025 -
This campaign of deception from Big Oil and the plastics industry underscores why California’s lawsuit against Exxon is so vital.—
Chelsea Linsley,
Mercury News,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
What begins as a convenient living arrangement spirals into a dangerous game of desire and deceit.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 July 2025
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But there’s more to the Prime Video series than just murder and deceit, says the actress, whose credits also include The Sinner and 7th Heaven.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
This prompt gives you enough talking points to contribute thoughtfully without pretending to be an expert.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Interspersed in the narrative, there are South Asian folktales about a jackal who is punished for pretending to be a king and a foolish man who puts all his eggs in a basket.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The new policy also takes quite a leap by assuming that most of the nation’s elderly population have ever even heard of Twitter, including the New Jersey caller’s 96-year-old mother.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
13 Apr. 2025
-
At the same time, Representative Newt Gingrich from Georgia was already in ascent, assuming the position of House Minority Whip in March 1989.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
At Comedy Central, Colbert rose to prominence playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’Reilly and other unapologetically mendacious Fox News pundits from the George W. Bush years.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
18 July 2025
-
The true story reveals both how freedom of speech first came to be conceived of as a mechanism for truth, an antidote to falsehood, and the foundation of all liberty—and that, ironically, this new and powerful theory was itself a deliberately mendacious fiction.—
Fara Dabhoiwala,
Harpers Magazine,
4 June 2025
Noun
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In a plea deal, Johnson pled guilty to one count of broker-dealer registration violation, a Class C felony, in exchange for the 14 securities fraud counts being dismissed.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Southeast Asia has become a global epicenter of cyber scams, where high-tech fraud meets human trafficking.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Mafalda is a young girl who hates soup and hypocrisy and loves democracy and the Beatles.—
Alex Dueben
July 21,
Literary Hub,
21 July 2025
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Delirium is both intimate and expansive—an unflinching look at mental illness, social hypocrisy, and the heavy burden of our unspoken traumas.—
Time,
Time,
18 July 2025
Verb
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Nvidia’s Omniverse allows users to put together world scenes digitally, simulating a physical environment.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Jan. 2025
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In addition to large-scale data theft, economic disruption, and intelligence breaches, quantum computers could be used for malicious purposes such as simulating and synthesizing chemical weapons or optimizing the flight trajectories of a swarm of drones.—
Charina Chou,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dissembling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissembling. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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