1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
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2
as in to dissimulate
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
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Recent Examples of dissemble
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.
—
Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
That same week, Altman made headlines at a Senate hearing by asking to be regulated — wowing senators who were more accustomed to tech CEOs dissembling or responding evasively to questions.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
That year, with 23,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, the administration was still dissembling about the American role in the war.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissemble
Verb
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To pretend as if everyone doesn’t recognize him.—
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Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
Verb
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Under such a rental structure, tenants are responsible for assuming their share of operating expenses, including property taxes, insurance and common area maintenance.—
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Aumann’s lawsuit says he was initially hired as a consultant to assist fundraising for the venture but was asked to assume the CEO title after a falling out with a previous leader.—
Verb
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So a common approach is to use a computer to simulate the fluid’s motion and get an approximate sense of the conditions that seem to produce a blowup.—
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The device features an 8-inch curved OLED display that renders a holographic 3D companion designed to simulate emotional intimacy.—
Cite this Entry
“Dissemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissemble. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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