playacted
Put on act
Playacted is the past tense of playact, meaning to perform dramatically or pretend, often with a sense of insincerity or exaggeration.
Someone who playacted might have been performing in a theatrical sense, but more often the word suggests feigning emotions or putting on a false display: She playacted surprise when we told her the news.
The implication is usually that the performance was unconvincing or that the person was being dishonest about their true feelings.
Falsely displayed or simulated
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- falseNot matching reality
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
hypocritical · artificial · deceptive · duplicitous · sham · bogus · fraudulent · two-faced
Pretending to feel something
- fakingSimulating something false
- simulatingArtificially replicating something
- dissemblingConcealing true motives
- shammingFalsely pretending
masquerading · posturing · affecting · imitating · mimicking · charade · guise · facade
Executing an action
- stagingPreparing for presentation
- dramatizingExaggerating emotional impact
- emotingExpressing theatrically
- hammingExaggerated theatrical performance
overacting · gesticulating · rehearsing · auditioning · monologue · soliloquy · scene · script
Nature, symbol, or role
- personaAssumed public identity
- larpIn-person theatrical gaming
- impersonationPretending to be another
- enactmentPassing into law
scenario · fantasy · imagination · storytelling · narrative · improvisation · game · simulation
feigned
Falsely displayed or simulated
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- falseNot matching reality
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
disingenuous · hypocritical · artificial · deceptive · duplicitous · sham · bogus · fraudulent · two-faced · hollow
feigning
Pretending to feel something
- fakingSimulating something false
- simulatingArtificially replicating something
- dissemblingConcealing true motives
shamming · masquerading · posturing · affecting · imitating · mimicking · charade · guise · facade · artifice
performing
Executing an action
- stagingPreparing for presentation
- dramatizingExaggerating emotional impact
- emotingExpressing theatrically
hamming · overacting · gesticulating · rehearsing · auditioning · monologue · soliloquy · scene · script · costume
character
Nature, symbol, or role
- personaAssumed public identity
- larpIn-person theatrical gaming
- impersonationPretending to be another
enactment · scenario · fantasy · imagination · storytelling · narrative · improvisation · game · simulation · embodying
playactedspontaneous
Arising without external cause
natural · instinctive · unrehearsed · unscripted · uncontrived