Meaning & use
dissembled
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“dissembled” is a form of “dissemble”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitiveformal
hid your true feelings, intentions, or beliefs by acting or speaking in a way that was not sincere.
Grammar: Can take an object (dissemble your anger) or stand alone with no object (he was dissembling).
Patterns
- dissemble something
- dissemble to someone
- dissemble about something
She dissembled her disappointment and congratulated her rival warmly.
The witness dissembled when asked where he had been that night.
He smiled and dissembled, though he knew the plan had already failed.
verbtransitiveformalliterary
gave a false appearance of something; pretended to have a quality or feeling that was not real.
Grammar: Usually followed by a noun such as 'interest' or 'ignorance': dissemble ignorance.
Patterns
- dissemble interest
- dissemble ignorance
- dissemble emotion
She dissembled ignorance, though she had read every page of the report.
He dissembled calm while his hands shook under the table.
Word forms
| third person singular | dissembles |
|---|---|
| past tense | dissembled |
| past participle | dissembled |
| -ing form | dissembling |
Common combinations
- dissemble one's feelings
- He had learned to dissemble his feelings in front of the press.
- dissemble one's motives
- Politicians are often accused of dissembling their motives.
- a dissembling manner
- Her dissembling manner made everyone uneasy.
- accused of dissembling
- The minister was accused of dissembling before the committee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pretend
- Much more common and neutral; you pretend that something is true, but you dissemble by hiding what you really think.
- feign
- Very close in meaning but usually takes a specific noun, as in 'feign illness'; 'dissemble' is broader and more about hiding.
- conceal
- Focuses on keeping something hidden rather than on putting on a false show.
- lie
- Stronger and blunter; it means saying something untrue, while dissembling can mean simply not showing the truth.
Opposites
Word family
- dissemblance noun
- The act of hiding your true feelings or intentions.
- dissembler noun
- A person who habitually hides their true feelings.
- dissembling adjective
- Behaving in a way that hides the truth.
Commonly confused: dissembled or disassemble? dissembled or assemble?
dissembled vs disassemble
Sounds similar but means 'take something apart', as in disassemble a machine. 'Dissemble' is about hiding the truth.
dissembled vs assemble
The opposite of disassemble and unrelated in meaning; do not confuse it with dissemble.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'dissembled' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Dissembled' means hid her real opinion, which fits sentence B. Options A, C, and D confuse it with 'disassembled', which means took apart.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dissembled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.