English Dictionary

DISSEMBLE

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dissemble mean? 

DISSEMBLE (verb)
  The verb DISSEMBLE has 3 senses:

1. make believe with the intent to deceiveplay

2. hide under a false appearanceplay

3. behave unnaturally or affectedlyplay

  Familiarity information: DISSEMBLE used as a verb is uncommon.


 Dictionary entry details 


DISSEMBLE (verb)

 Conjugation: 
Present simple: I / you / we / they dissemble  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it dissembles  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past simple: dissembled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past participle: dissembled  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
-ing form: dissembling  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Make believe with the intent to deceive

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

affect; dissemble; feign; pretend; sham

Context example:

He shammed a headache

Hypernyms (to "dissemble" is one way to...):

belie; misrepresent (represent falsely)

Verb group:

make; make believe; pretend (represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dissemble"):

play possum (to pretend to be dead)

take a dive (pretend to be knocked out, as of a boxer)

bull; bullshit; fake; talk through one's hat (speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths)

mouth (articulate silently; form words with the lips only)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

dissembler (a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives)

dissembling (pretending with intention to deceive)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Hide under a false appearance

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

cloak; dissemble; mask

Context example:

He masked his disappointment

Hypernyms (to "dissemble" is one way to...):

disguise; mask (make unrecognizable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something


Sense 3

Meaning:

Behave unnaturally or affectedly

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

act; dissemble; pretend

Context example:

She's just acting

Verb group:

act; behave; do (behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dissemble"):

assume; feign; sham; simulate (make a pretence of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something


 Context examples 


But in this, our last interview of friendship, I approached her with a sense of guilt that almost took from me the power of dissembling.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"A person is known by the company he keeps." (English proverb)

"It is easier for the son to ask from the father than for the father to ask from the son" (Breton proverb)

"Laughing for no reason is rude." (Arabic proverb)

"Where there is smoke, there is fire too." (Croatian proverb)



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