DISSEMBLE
feign, sham, pretend, affect, dissemble
(verb) make believe with the intent to deceive; “He feigned that he was ill”; “He shammed a headache”
dissemble, pretend, act
(verb) behave unnaturally or affectedly; “She’s just acting”
dissemble, cloak, mask
(verb) hide under a false appearance; “He masked his disappointment”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
dissemble (third-person singular simple present dissembles, present participle dissembling, simple past and past participle dissembled)
(transitive) To disguise or conceal something.
(transitive) To feign.
(transitive) To deliberately ignore something; to pretend not to notice.
(intransitive) To falsely hide one's opinions or feelings.
Usage notes
Not to be confused with disassemble (take apart).
Synonyms
• (to pretend not to notice): disregard, take no notice of; see also ignore
Source: Wiktionary
Dis*sem"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dissembled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Dissembling.] Etym: [OF. dissembler to be dissimilar; pref. dis- (L.
dis-) + F. sembler to seem, L. simulare to simulate; cf. L.
dissimulare to dissemble. See Simulate, and cf. Dissimulate.]
1. 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.
Dissemble all your griefs and discontents. Shak.
Perhaps it was right to dissemble your love, But -- why did you kick
me down stairs J. P. Kemble.
2. To put on the semblance of; to make pretense of; to simulate; to
feign.
He soon dissembled a sleep. Tatler.
Syn.
– To conceal; disguise; cloak; cover; equivocate. See Conceal.
Dis*sem"ble, v. i.
Definition: To conceal the real fact, motives,
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips. Prov. xxvi. 24.
He [an enemy] dissembles when he assumes an air of friendship. C. J.
Smith.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition