as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
it was clear to her friends that her reaction to the news was pure playacting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playacting
Noun
-
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington under the pretense of negotiating a peace deal.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025 -
But in the media-state singularity, there is not even the pretense of space between the two worlds.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The show proved incredibly popular upon its debut, with an average weekly audience of 20 million viewers during its first season.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
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Monday’s show introduced the luxury fashion house’s collection from womenswear artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière.—
Nicole Fell,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Wind chills in this region could reach 20 degrees, posing a significant threat to people and property.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Wind chills in this region could reach 20 degrees, posing a significant threat to people and property.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Casa Loewe’s golden facade brightens the Jing’an Kerry Center commercial district.—
WWD,
WWD,
28 Feb. 2025
-
This will feature lots of natural light thanks to the skylights already mentioned, plus a transparent facade made up of aluminum and glass, with glazed louvers.—
Adam Williams,
New Atlas,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While maintaining a quirky and mysterious air, the show yields questions like, is a cult real if its creators are pretending but its followers aren’t?—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
24 Dec. 2024
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June Squibb plays the titular Thelma, who gets taken in by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) to the tune of $10,000.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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California rock band Incubus will be the headlining act at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival 2025 on Thursday night (Feb. 27).—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2025
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While opening acts haven’t been officially announced yet for the stadium shows, Blackpink concerts are known for their elaborate production and full-evening experiences.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airplane operation, including checks of all Boeing 737-800s.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
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The fast-acting shampoo should only be left on wet hair for one minute, and it’s designed for weekly use.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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According to certain cosmologies, their souls take on the guise of marine creatures—an idea that struck me as strangely comforting.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Those influences are often deliberate — coy and canny reworkings of previous themes and character types, presented again in new guises and winking reflections.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Playacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playacting. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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