English Meaning & Definitions
Present participle of feign; pretending to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury.
- “She was feigning illness to avoid taking the difficult mathematics examination.”
- “The stray dog was not actually hurt; it was merely feigning injury to gain sympathy.”
Acting in a deceptive manner; insincere or hypocritical.
- “His feigning smile could not hide the genuine resentment in his eyes.”
- “We saw right through her feigning innocence during the investigation.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “feigning”.
Derived from Middle English 'feignen', from Old French 'feindre', ultimately originating from the Latin 'fingere', meaning 'to shape, form, devise, or invent' (related to words like 'figure' and 'fiction'). Historically, it evolved from meaning to form or invent something to specifically mean inventing a false show or pretense.
Think of 'feigning' as 'faining' — pretending to be in pain when you are just faking it.
Frequently Asked Questions About “feigning”
1. What is the meaning of “feigning” in English?
In English, feigning (verb) is defined as: “Present participle of feign; pretending to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury.”.
2. How do you use “feigning” in a sentence?
“She was feigning illness to avoid taking the difficult mathematics examination.”
3. What are English synonyms of “feigning”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “feigning”?
Derived from Middle English 'feignen', from Old French 'feindre', ultimately originating from the Latin 'fingere', meaning 'to shape, form, devise, or invent' (related to words like 'figure' and 'fiction'). Historically, it evolved from meaning to form or invent something to specifically mean inventing a false show or pretense.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.