Dissemblance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dɪˈsɛmbləns/

Definitions

1. The act of concealing one's true feelings, intentions, or character through deceptive behavior or false appearance
2. The practice of hiding one's genuine emotions, motives, or character through deliberate deception or misleading outward presentation
3. Concealment of one's authentic nature, feelings, or purposes by means of false appearance or dishonest conduct

Etymology: "Dissemblance" is formed in English from the verb "dissemble," which came into use in the late 1500s. The verb itself is a compound of the prefix "dis-" (here meaning something like "not" or "the opposite of") and "semble," from Old French "sembler," meaning "to seem" or "to appear," which descends from Latin "similare," "to make like." So the root idea is simply appearing one way while being another: to dissemble is to make oneself seem not to be what one is. The noun "dissemblance" is the quality or act of doing this. It follows the pattern of many English nouns ending in "-ance," which took over from Old French "-ance" endings and were attached to verbs and adjectives throughout the early modern period. The word is recorded in English writing in the 1600s, and its use has stayed largely literary, which is why many readers meet it less often than the verb "dissemble" or its close relative "dissimulation."

Synonyms: deception, dissimilation, disguise

Antonyms: openness, honesty