What does feignedly mean?
'Feignedly' is a formal English adverb meaning 'in a pretended manner' — it describes actions, expressions, or emotions that are deliberately assumed rather than sincerely felt. Someone who smiles feignedly is putting on a show of pleasure they do not actually experience; a compliment given feignedly is counterfeit praise. The word derives from the verb 'feign,' meaning to fake or fabricate, which traces back through Old French 'feindre' to the Latin 'fingere,' meaning to shape or mould — the same root that produced 'fiction,' 'figure,' and 'effigy.' This makes the word's history unusually apt: a thing done feignedly is literally a shaping of falsehood. Although grammatically straightforward, 'feignedly' is uncommon in modern conversation and belongs chiefly to literary or elevated registers, where it lends precision to descriptions of dissimulation, polite deception, and the small social performances people stage for one another.
adverbIn a feigned manner; pretendedly or insincerely, with feeling or behaviour deliberately assumed rather than genuinely felt.
- In a pretended or counterfeit manner; with feelings or actions assumed rather than genuine.
"She laughed feignedly at his joke, careful not to reveal how little it amused her."
"He nodded feignedly through the lecture, hoping no one noticed his mind was elsewhere."
"Her surprise was entirely feignedly expressed, rehearsed down to the widening of her eyes."
Every time you say 'feignedly,' you're echoing the Latin verb fingere — the same root that gives us 'fiction' — so a feigned smile is, quite literally, a work of fiction.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of feignedly
'Feignedly' derives from the verb 'feign,' which entered Middle English from Old French 'feindre' (to shape, form, or pretend), itself from Latin 'fingere,' meaning to mould or fashion. The Latin root also yields 'fiction,' 'figure,' and 'effigy,' all preserving the sense of something shaped or fabricated. The adverb formed regularly with the '-ly' suffix and has been used in English since at least the early modern period.
Related word forms
How feignedly is actually used
'Feignedly' is a formal, literary adverb and is rare in everyday speech; writers more often reach for phrases like 'with feigned surprise' or the simpler adverb 'pretendedly.' It typically carries a connotation of deliberate deception, though often of a mild or social kind rather than malicious fraud.
Easily confused with feignedly
Though similar in sound and spelling, 'faintly' means weakly or dimly, while 'feignedly' means in a pretended or counterfeit manner.