dissembled
Hid true motives
Dissembled is the past tense of dissemble, meaning to conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs behind a false appearance.
Someone who has dissembled has put on an act or hidden their real intentions: She dissembled her disappointment with a bright smile.
The word implies deliberate deception rather than simple privacy—a calculated effort to mislead others about what one actually thinks or feels.
Acted falsely
- feignedFalsely displayed or simulated
- fakedFalsely produced or simulated
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- disguisedConcealed true identity
masked · hid · cloaked · veiled · obscured · camouflaged · misrepresented · falsified
Told a falsehood
- fibbedTold minor untruths
- misledCaused to believe falsely
- deceivedMisled into false belief
- equivocatedSpoke ambiguously on purpose
prevaricated · dissimulated · duplicitous · two-faced · hypocritical · disingenuous · insincere · deceitful
Deceptive outward show
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- guiseExternal manner shown
- shamFraudulent imitation
- affectationArtificial behavior for effect
artifice · masquerade · pose · act · front · veneer · smokescreen · subterfuge
pretended
Acted falsely
- feignedFalsely displayed or simulated
- fakedFalsely produced or simulated
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
disguised · masked · hid · cloaked · veiled · obscured · camouflaged · misrepresented · falsified · fabricated
lied
Told a falsehood
equivocated · prevaricated · dissimulated · duplicitous · two-faced · hypocritical · disingenuous · insincere · deceitful · dishonest
pretense
Deceptive outward show
affectation · artifice · masquerade · pose · act · front · veneer · smokescreen · subterfuge · ruse