dissimulator

A dissimulator is a person who dissimulates, meaning someone who conceals or misrepresents their true thoughts, feelings, or motives, or who presents a false front. The term emphasizes the act of hiding one’s genuine character or intentions rather than simply telling falsehoods.

Etymology and form: The word comes from Latin dissimulator, from dissimulare, meaning to hide one’s real character or motives or to feign. In English, dissimulator functions as a noun and has the related verb dissimulate and the noun dissimulation.

Usage and context: The term is largely formal or literary and is used to describe individuals who employ concealment or strategic ambiguity in social or political situations. It can apply to everyday interactions, as well as to analyses of diplomacy, rhetoric, or narrative characterization. In discussions of ethics or psychology, dissimulation is examined as a social tactic that can facilitate negotiation or manipulation, depending on context and intent.

Distinction from related terms: A dissimulator may avoid direct falsehood by masking or shaping what is disclosed, but the concept overlaps with deception and pretense. Dissimulators differ from outright liars in that their core strategy centers on concealment and presentation rather than necessarily asserting explicit false statements.

See also: dissimulation, deceit, pretense, disguise.