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
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After his arrest, Duffy had faked amnesia and sought asylum in a psychiatric hospital, where doctors prevented the police from interrogating him, but the pretense of the amnesia was exposed at the trial by his ex-wife and a friend.—
Sarah Beckwith,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025 -
May 8 Theft by false pretense: Someone contacted a Saratoga resident, claiming to be a member of the Federal Trade Commission.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Blanchfield’s management team reported that she will be paid her full show and win money for UFC Vegas 107.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The show the British band put on May 31 at Stanford Stadium, which kicks off a final leg of a planetary peregrination that ends this fall in London, was good fun polished to a delirious sheen.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Verb
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While posing for photos at the event, Princess Charlene was joined by filmmaker Blanca Li, and her sister-in-law Princess Caroline of Hanover, among others.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Mar. 2025
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Artists, designers, stylists, actors and musicians came out from all corners of the industry, posing on the red carpet and dancing to the sounds of Star Amerasu, the evening’s DJ.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Drop the facade to create space for genuine connection.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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The damage to the facade appears mostly cosmetic, but the threat to the priceless VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-rays, and more media locked inside was enough to close the shop for several days.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
3 June 2025
Verb
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This prompt gives you enough talking points to contribute thoughtfully without pretending to be an expert.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Interspersed in the narrative, there are South Asian folktales about a jackal who is punished for pretending to be a king and a foolish man who puts all his eggs in a basket.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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When the Parks and Recreation alum was shot and killed at just 59 years old during a dispute with his neighbor on Sunday, June 1, his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claimed the act of violence was a hate crime.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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But Peter Wagner, executive director of the Prison Policy Initiative, says specific numbers aren't as important as simply the act of trying to quantify what incarceration does to families.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
3 June 2025
Verb
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When the acting dream started Growing up in Sacramento, Smalls was a three-sport athlete in high school attending West Campus, Rosemont and Foothill in North Highlands.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
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Right before graduation, Smalls found a two-year program in the William Esper Studio in New York City which teaches acting techniques such as the Meisner Technique.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This was a trouncing of historical proportions, the biggest margin of defeat in the history of the Champions League final, both in its current version and its previous guise as European Cup.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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Newspapers, once only a platform to distribute daily happenings, are continuing to inspire, only in a different guise.—
Samantha Tse,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Playacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playacting. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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