Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To disguise or conceal behind a false appearance. See Synonyms at disguise.
- v. To make a false show of; feign.
- v. To disguise or conceal one's real nature, motives, or feelings behind a false appearance.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To make unlike; cause to look different; disguise.
- To give a false impression about; cause to seem different or non-existent; mask under a false pretense or deceptive manner.
- To put on the semblance of; simulate; pretend.
- To assume the appearance of; appear like; imitate.
- Synonyms Dissemble, Simulate, Dissimulate Disguise, cloak, cover. (See hide.) To dissemble is to pretend that a thing which is is not: as, to dissemble one's real sentiments. To simulate is to pretend that a thing which is not is: as, to simulate friendship. To dissimulate is to hide the reality or truth of something under a diverse or contrary appearance: as, to dissimulate one's poverty by ostentation. To disguise is to put under a false guise, to keep a thing from being recognized by giving it a false appearance: as, I cannot disguise from myself the fact. See dissembler and conceal.
- To give a false appearance; make a deceptive impression or presentation.
- To assume a false seeming; conceal the real fact, motives, intention, or sentiments under some pretense; mask the truth about one's self.
Wiktionary
- v. To disguise or conceal something; to feign.
- v. To deliberately ignore something; to pretend not to notice.
- v. To falsely hide one's opinions or feelings.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To hide under a false semblance or seeming; to feign (something) not to be what it really is; to put an untrue appearance upon; to disguise; to mask.
- v. To put on the semblance of; to make pretense of; to simulate; to feign.
- v. To conceal the real fact, motives, intention, or sentiments, under some pretense; to assume a false appearance; to act the hypocrite.
WordNet 3.0
- v. behave unnaturally or affectedly
- v. make believe with the intent to deceive
- v. hide under a false appearance
Etymologies
- Middle English dissemblen, from Old French dessembler, to be different : des-, dis- + sembler, to appear, seem; see semblable.
Examples
“I really enjoy it, I like doing it, I like composing music that I can kind of dissemble and say “what are different ways of telling the same musical story but making the middle something that is sorta indeterminate.””
“Use the word, "dissemble" or "disingenuous," if you will, but let's call it what it really is.”
Tom D'Antoni: Sen. Clinton's Own Religious Cult Includes Brownback, Santorum
“Waaa-al I dunno, Kerry seems to have read a few books and done some thinking since graduation, Bush on the other hand scowls petulantly and cannot use the word "dissemble" correctly in a sentence - a challenge that my eleven year old niece would sneer at.”
“STEWART: Actually, Mr. President, "dissemble" means to not tell the truth.”
“Giles Fraser decides to not listen and instead assert (or might we be controvesial and say "dissemble") that the Pope has condemned gay”
“But please: can't ever say they lied (the approved usage is "dissemble"), and for Chrissake, don't even think impeachment or criminal proceedings.”
“Look, everyone knows that presidents care who succeeds them in the Senate, even if they kind of dissemble a little bit or don't tell the whole story? ”
“It is not surprising to hear the Bachmann's dissemble.”
The Huffington Post: Wayne Besen: Leading GOP Candidates Run Away From the Gay
“By 2009, he certainly knew better, but so invested was he in the story, and so useful had it been in his rise, that he continued to dissemble, even before millions of schoolchildren.”
“Long after Tillman's nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had "probably" been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘dissemble’.
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Archaic
abide, abjure, abroad, adamant, afield, aforetime, aghast, anon, apace, argent, assuage, aught and 327 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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March 2012
panache, evanescent, erogenous, vestibule, malfeasance, lacuna, blithering, incubate, breech, tabernacle, pearly, upholstery and 79 more...
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This Boy's Life list 2
treacly, sepulchral, unutterable, malicious, vigilance, Aryan, lackey, plausible, emaciated, cavernous, perspicacity, scabrous and 13 more...
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Lying, cheating, and stealing
subterfuge, chicanery, skulduggery, pilfer, purloin, bamboozle, bilk, gyp, hoodwink, swindle, hoax, dupe and 28 more...
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Pants on fire
Synonyms and euphemisms for lie, liar, or lying.
disingenuous, equivocator, fabricator, fibber, maligner, prevaricator, hypocrite, mendacity, mendacious, fabulist, pantelones encend..., pinocchio and 16 more...
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Hiding in plain sight
anticryptic, camouflage, chameleon, xenomorphic, obfusc, stegnographic, stealth, dissemble, dissimulate, mask, masquerade, screen and 26 more...
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fancy essay words
hiatus, ontology, exegesis, hermeneutics, dialectics, demiurge, ascertain, contention, eschatological, synecdoche, centripetal, centrifugal and 86 more...

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