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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For more about how to tell generative AI to carry out a pretense, known as an AI persona, see my coverage at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025 -
There were no pretenses and no judgments — a theme that resonated throughout the retreat.—
Colby Holiday,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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After the show, the song’s streams briefly vaulted from 1,000 streams a day to 20,000.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
14 Feb. 2025
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But in the end, the show rises or falls on whether the audience is carried along — or even cares about — Jesse’s private journey of salvation.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Wind chills in this region could reach 20 degrees, posing a significant threat to people and property.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
8 Jan. 2025
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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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Michael’s sexuality has never been an issue, because Julia married him for a life of status and security, and is happy to keep up any facade necessary to maintain it.—
Mary Marge Locker,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2025
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So are the movie theaters, some beloved restaurants and stores, a landmark hotel (although a new residential building features a replica facade).—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 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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The house is a replica of the one in Solingen, Germany where a notorious act of arson in 1993 committed by a group of young far-right extremists left five Turkish migrant women and girls of the Genç family dead.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
15 Feb. 2025
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Those include acts of violence with or without weapons, bragging about weapons or a planned attack, and threats seen on social media.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Crash follows martial law declaration and impeachment A large memorial has been set up in a county gym about 5 miles from the crash site, where people including acting President Choi came to pay respects.—
Ju-min Park and Hongji Kim,
USA TODAY,
31 Dec. 2024
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Those officials could be then tapped for acting positions.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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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The first four films followed Neve Campbell's character, Sidney Prescott, and her struggle against a succession of murderers who adopt the guise of Ghostface, a masked killer motivated by revenge, jealousy, and notoriety.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near playacting
Cite this Entry
“Playacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playacting. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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