dissimulation, deception, dissembling, deceit - the act of deceiving

show, appearance - pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression; "they try to keep up appearances"; "that ceremony is just for show"

pretend, make-believe - the enactment of a pretense; "it was just pretend"

affectation, affectedness, mannerism, pose - a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display

masquerade - making a false outward show; "a beggar's masquerade of wealth"

deception, misrepresentation, deceit - a misleading falsehood

bluff - pretense that your position is stronger than it really is; "his bluff succeeded in getting him accepted"

pretext, stalking-horse - something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason

hypocrisy, lip service - an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction

imagery, imaging, mental imagery, imagination - the ability to form mental images of things or events; "he could still hear her in his imagination"

artificiality - the quality of being produced by people and not occurring naturally

semblance, gloss, color, colour - an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading; "he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity"; "he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction"; "the situation soon took on a different color"