disguise

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Material (such as clothing, makeup, a wig) used to alter one’s visual appearance in order to hide one's identity or assume another.
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) The appearance of something on the outside which masks what’s beneath.
3. (countable, uncountable) The act or state of disguising, notably as a ploy.
4. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A change of behaviour resulting from intoxication, drunkenness.

Verb

1. (transitive) To change the appearance of (a person or thing) so as to hide, or to assume an identity.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To transform or disfigure, to change the appearance of in general.
3. (transitive) To avoid giving away or revealing (something secret); to hide by a false appearance.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To dress in newfangled or showy clothing, to deck out in new fashions.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To dissemble, to talk or act falsely while concealing one’s thoughts.
6. (archaic, transitive) To affect or change by liquor; to intoxicate.

Synonyms

mask

😷

camouflage

conceal

hide

cover

masquerade

veil

pretend

dissemble

obscure

impersonate

transform

concealment

personate

secrete

costume

incarnate

dress up

embody

transfigure

keep secret

deception

cloak

distort

screen

hush up

fake

cover up

hiding

masking

get-up

pretense

feign

shroud

pretence

misrepresent

dissimulate

dissimulation

costumes

guise

imitation

metamorphosis

misinterpret

mummery

obliterate

obstruct

occult

ostentation

overgrow

paste

pervert

pretension

pupae

repress

seclude

show

simulation

skin

smother

strew

submerge

white out

transformation

whiteout

wrap

blank out

drown out

hide away

masking one’s true character

sheep’s clothing

diversionary tactics

hide by camouflage

adorn oneself

keep hidden

quise

deceptive dress

mound over

adornment

false dress

affectation

attire

balaclava

bathe

belie

blanket

block out

cake

🍰

canopy

cap

carpet

case

cipher

clothe

convert

coverture

cover-up

deceit

disfigure

drape

encase

encrypt

engulf

fancy dress

feint

flood

fraud

gloss

gloze

grow over

guile

hypocrisy

imposture

incase

incognito

inscribe

keep in

makeup

make up

mantle

Translations

déguisement

disfraz

Verkleidung

verhullen

vermomming

déguiser

disfrazar

verbergen

Tarnung

camouflage

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪsˈɡaɪz/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: disgisen

Cognate with French: déguiser

In summary

From Middle English disgisen, disguisen, borrowed from Old French desguiser (modern French déguiser), itself derived from des- (“dis-”) (from Latin dis-) + guise (“guise”) (from a Germanic source).