feint

feigned, pretended

adjective FEHN Rare

Origin: Past participle of feindre, from Latin fingere, 'to shape, pretend'

Usage Note

Feint is the masculine adjective; the feminine is feinte. It describes something deliberately faked — une douleur feinte (feigned pain), un intérêt feint (pretended interest). The related noun une feinte means a feint or bluff in sports and fencing. The final -t is silent in the masculine.

Examples

"Son enthousiasme feint ne trompait personne."

Natural Translation

His feigned enthusiasm fooled no one.

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