What does "dissembler" mean?
Dissembler: One who dissembles; one who conceals his opinions or dispositions under a false appearance; a hypocrite. It is the weakest sort of politicians that are the greatest dissemblers. Bacon. Priests, princes, women, no dissemblers here. Pope. A person is called a dissembler with reference to his concealment of his real character, and a hypocrite with reference to his assumption of a false character. But hypocrite is the stronger word, being commonly used to characterize a person who is habitually insincere and false, especially one who makes professions of goodness when his aims are selfish and his life corrupt.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00