feign
Definitions
To pretend to have or feel something you do not actually have or feel, in order to deceive
假装拥有或感受到某种其实并不存在的东西（以欺骗他人）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedfeign comes straight from Latin fingere 'to shape, mold' (via Old French feindre). To shape an appearance you don't really have is to feign it — feign surprise, feign illness. Pretending is treated as molding a false surface over a true feeling.
Root feign still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
Why does a word for 'pretend' come from a word for 'shape'? Because the Romans saw both as the same craft: fingere was what a sculptor did to clay, and also what a storyteller did to a plot. A shaped thing is, by definition, made rather than naturally given — so a shaped feeling is a manufactured one. That is the whole logic of feign.
Usage Guide
Pronounced /feɪn/ — the g is silent, rhyming with rain. Typically takes an abstract object: feign surprise/ignorance/illness/interest. More formal and literary than 'pretend'; you feign a feeling, but you 'pretend to do' something.
Example Sentences
- 1.
She feigned surprise when they brought out the cake.
- 2.
He feigned illness to get out of the meeting.
- 3.
The cat feigned indifference but kept watching the bird.
- 4.
It's hard to feign enthusiasm for a project you despise.
Easily Confused
feign vs faint — they sound nothing alike (feign = /feɪn/, faint = /feɪnt/ has a t) but learners mix the spellings. feign = pretend; faint = lose consciousness, or (adj.) very weak/dim. 'She feigned a faint' means she only pretended to pass out.
Synonym Comparison
- feign — deliberately put on a feeling you don't have; literary (feign illness)
- pretend — the everyday word; broadest, used with 'to do'
- fake — emphasizes a counterfeit result (fake a signature, fake a smile)
- simulate — neutral/technical; reproduce conditions (simulate combat)
- affect — put on a manner or accent for effect (affect a British accent)