feign

Our civilization shouldn’t feign excessive humility and modesty while America inspires creative drive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

Experts have previously warned the potential for AI chatbots to make things up, be overly-encouraging, and feign empathy can pose risks to young and vulnerable people.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025

Still, the Dodgers won’t feign passivity this time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025

The Vault dwellers may have chin-tentacles and sinister secrets, but they understand something essential.In the post-apocalypse, the ability to feign normalcy — and further, to curate pleasure — is a luxury.

From Salon ● May 12, 2025

To simulate gravity, feign grief and pretend supernatural intelligence of the hereafter in so fearsome and arcane a circumstance as death seemed the most criminal of offenses.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

A burst of laughter and applause erupts from the crowd as he feigns confusion by turning and pointing to invisible supporters, as if he does not realize his back is to them.

From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

At one point in the clip, he hides in a bullet train toilet and feigns illness when confronted by a conductor.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2023

Noonan feigns surprise at the turnabout while crediting others for his team’s accomplishments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

Miranda feigns being open, but she'd rather shape Che's world to her liking instead of fulfilling the reason for her move to L.A., the purpose of which was to be in her lover's world.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2023

While Jasper, his spaniel ears a-droop, feigns indifference to the arrival of the cakes.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

The antics of the “bewitched” girls are so clearly feigned that the audience can recognize the corrupt motivations of the powerful people who are feeding the frenzy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

I feigned disappointment but secretly sighed with relief: The last time I’d come, the pod’s door hadn’t closed, spiking my adrenaline even more during the seven-minute trip across the valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

“Go on,” Johnson says with a feigned seriousness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025

When a press release informed me Howie had scheduled a brief homecoming, I feigned a news hook: If I could interview him by phone, I would write a feature about "Stuck Rubber Baby."

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025

His girls were playful, wistful, always dancing across the house, jumping from bed to bed, singing with feigned vibrato, swooning.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

In some cases, bureaucrats resorted to ostentatious gestures and outright fraud, feigning adherence to unrealistic targets and masking underperformance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

In November, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" and break up play.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

Spaeny: It’s what every actor is thinking except they’re feigning ...

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

However, the “Hannah Montana” star did not end her mockery there—going on to accuse Cooper of feigning innocence about the proximity of their properties.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

Then she leans over and I’m sure she’s going to kiss my forehead like she used to when I was a little girl, but I roll away from her, still feigning sleep.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon