dissemble

UK: /dɪˈsɛmb^əl/ US: /dɪˈsɛmbəl/ ,(di sem′bəl)

Inflections of 'dissemble' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

dissembles

v 3rd person singular

dissembling

v pres p

dissembled

v past

dissembled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•sem•ble /dɪˈsɛmbəl/   v. [no object] , -bled, -bling. 

1. to hide or conceal one's true motives or thoughts;
   speak or act hypocritically:
   You can always tell if he's dissembling; his voice trembles when he lies.

dis•sem•blance, n. [uncountable]
dis•sem•bler, n. [countable] See -semble-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•sem•ble  (di sem′bəl), v., -bled, -bling. 
v.t. 

1. to give a false or misleading appearance to;
   conceal the truth or real nature of:
   to dissemble one's incompetence in business.
2. to put on the appearance of;
   feign:
   to dissemble innocence.
3. [Obs.] to let pass unnoticed;
   ignore.

v.i. 

4. to conceal one's true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense;
   speak or act hypocritically.

• Latin dissimulāre. See dis-¹, simulate
• alteration (by association with obsolete semble to resemble) of Middle English dissimulen 1490–1500

dis•sem′bler, n. 
dis•sem′bling•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. mask, hide, camouflage, dissimulate.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dissemble / dɪˈsɛmb^əl/ verb

1. to conceal (one's real motives, emotions, etc) by pretence
2. (transitive) to pretend; simulate

Etymology: 15th Century: from earlier dissimulen, from Latin dissimulāre; probably influenced by obsolete semble to resemble

disˈsemblance noun

disˈsembler noun