feign
gb/fˈeɪn/ us/fˈeɪn/
C1
Inglés
színlel, tettet, kitalál, kohol
VERBO
C1
FORMAL
1
Patrón de uso:
feign [an emotion/reaction/attitude]
She feigned surprise when the lights came on, even though she already knew about the party.
Meglepetést színlelt, amikor felkapcsolódtak a fények, pedig már előre tudott a partiról.
He feigned interest in the conversation and kept glancing at his phone.
Érdeklődést színlelt a beszélgetés iránt, közben pedig folyton a telefonjára pillantgatott.
The politician feigned concern while avoiding any direct answer.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
I feigned a smile for the photo.
A fotó kedvéért mosolyt színleltem.
She feigned excitement to be polite.
Udvariasságból lelkesedést színlelt.
Error frecuente:
Do not confuse feign (/feɪn/) with faint; and do not confuse it with fain (“gladly”), which is a different word.
Significado
pretend to feel or show
Colocaciones
feign surprise
|feign interest
|feign concern
|feign innocence
|feign outrage
|feign indifference
|feign politeness
|feign a smile
|feign enthusiasm
|feign calm
Sinónimos
pretend (More general and more common than feign.)
|
simulate (Often suggests copying the outward signs closely.)
|
put on (More informal; emphasizes an act or performance.)
|
affect (Formal; often used for deliberately adopting an attitude or manner.)
Antónimos
be genuine (Truly feel or show the emotion.)
|
be sincere (Not pretending; honest in expression.)
Temas
communication
|emotions
|social
Definición
To pretend you feel something when you do not.
To deliberately give a false appearance of a feeling, attitude, or reaction.
VERBO
C1
FORMAL
2
színlel
C1
Patrón de uso:
feign [illness/injury] | feign being [ill/weak/unwell]
He feigned illness to avoid the meeting.
Betegséget színlelt, hogy elkerülje a megbeszélést.
The suspect was accused of feigning an injury after the arrest.
A gyanúsítottat azzal vádolták, hogy az elfogása után sérülést színlelt.
She feigned being unwell so she could leave early.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
He feigned a cold to stay home.
Megfázást színlelt, hogy otthon maradhasson.
Don’t feign an injury.
Ne színlelj sérülést.
Error frecuente:
Feigned illness is deliberate; it is not the same as being hypochondriac (believing you are ill).
Significado
pretend to be ill or hurt
Colocaciones
feign illness
|feign an injury
|feign sickness
|feign a headache
|feign a limp
|feign being unwell
|feign weakness
Sinónimos
fake (More informal and very common.)
|
pretend (General; does not specifically imply a practical motive.)
|
malinger (More technical; specifically avoiding work or duty by pretending to be ill.)
Antónimos
recover (Return to health rather than pretending illness.)
|
be ill (Actually have the illness or injury.)
Temas
health
|work
|law
Definición
To pretend you are sick or injured.
To pretend to have an illness, injury, or physical or mental condition, especially in order to avoid work, duty, or responsibility.
VERBO
C1
FORMAL
3
Patrón de uso:
feign [an excuse/explanation/story]
She feigned an excuse about traffic, but she had simply overslept.
A forgalomra hivatkozó kifogást talált ki, de valójában egyszerűen csak elaludt.
The report suggested he feigned a story to cover up the mistake.
A jelentés szerint egy történetet talált ki, hogy leplezze a hibát.
They feigned ignorance when asked where the money went.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
He feigned an excuse to leave.
Kitalált egy kifogást, hogy elmehessen.
She feigned a story about losing her keys.
Kitalált egy történetet arról, hogy elvesztette a kulcsait.
Error frecuente:
Feigned usually suggests purposeful deception; it is not just ‘imagine’ or ‘create’ in a neutral sense.
Significado
make up a story or excuse
Colocaciones
feign an excuse
|feign a reason
|feign an explanation
|feign a story
|feign ignorance
|feign misunderstanding
Sinónimos
fabricate (Strongly suggests deliberate invention of false details.)
|
make up (Common and neutral/informal compared to feign.)
|
invent (Can be neutral, but in this sense means create falsely.)
Antónimos
tell the truth (Give a truthful account rather than inventing one.)
|
admit (Openly acknowledge instead of offering a false explanation.)
Temas
communication
|crime
|school
Definición
To make up a false excuse or story.
To invent or contrive something false, such as an excuse, explanation, or story, to mislead others.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
feign
AFI
GB/fˈeɪn/
US/fˈeɪn/
Sílabas y acento
feign (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (feign)
Formas de la palabra
Verb
- Base: feign
- 3rd Person Singular: feigns
- Present Participle: feigning
- Past: feigned
Familia de palabras
Forms
feigns
verb
feigning
verb
feigned
verb
Advanced or less common
unfeigned
adjective
Expresiones
feign death
1/fˈeɪn dˈɛθ/
fixed phrase
formal
pretend to be dead
To act like you are dead.
Ejemplos
- In the film, the hero feigns death to fool the guards.
- The animal lay still, feigning death when threatened.
- He tried to feign death, but the medics quickly noticed he was breathing.
feign ignorance
1/fˈeɪn ˈɪɡnɚəns/
fixed phrase
formal
pretend not to know
To pretend you don’t know something.
Ejemplos
- When confronted with the email, he feigned ignorance.
- They feigned ignorance about the new policy changes.
- She feigned ignorance of the rules, but she had signed the form.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He feigned ignorance about the damage.
feign illness
1/fˈeɪn ˈɪlnəs/
fixed phrase
formal
pretend to be sick
To pretend you are sick.
Ejemplos
- He feigned illness and skipped the exam.
- The coach accused him of feigning illness to get out of training.
- She was punished for feigning illness at work.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He feigned illness to stay home.
feign interest
1/fˈeɪn ˈɪntɚˌɛst/
fixed phrase
formal
pretend to be interested
To act interested even when you aren’t.
Ejemplos
- He feigned interest in the presentation to be polite.
- She couldn’t even feign interest in the topic.
- I tried to feign interest, but my mind kept wandering.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- She feigned interest in my story.
feign sleep
1/fˈeɪn slˈip/
fixed phrase
formal
pretend to be asleep
To act like you are sleeping.
Ejemplos
- She feigned sleep so she wouldn’t have to answer questions.
- He feigned sleep and listened as they talked in the hallway.
- The child feigned sleep when his parents came in.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I feigned sleep on the bus.
feign surprise
1/fˈeɪn səpɹˈaɪz/
fixed phrase
formal
pretend to be surprised
To act surprised when you are not.
Ejemplos
- Try to feign surprise when you open the gift.
- He feigned surprise at the announcement, but he was in on the plan.
- She feigned surprise when the results came in.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I feigned surprise for my friend.