disguise

noun

Material (such as clothing, makeup, a wig) used to alter one’s visual appearance in order to hide one's identity or assume another.

The act or state of disguising, notably as a ploy.

(figuratively) The appearance of something on the outside which masks what’s beneath.

(archaic) A change of behaviour resulting from intoxication, drunkenness.

verb

(transitive) To change the appearance of (a person or thing) so as to hide, or to assume an identity.

(transitive) To avoid giving away or revealing (something secret); to hide by a false appearance.

(transitive, obsolete) To transform or disfigure, to change the appearance of in general.

(transitive, obsolete) To dress in newfangled or showy clothing, to deck out in new fashions.

(intransitive, obsolete) To dissemble, to talk or act falsely while concealing one’s thoughts.

(transitive, archaic) To affect or change by liquor; to intoxicate.

Roots

disdis- · Latin · apart, not wisa-guise · Germanic · manner, way

Synonyms for disguise

camouflagen maskn concealv dissimulatev masqueraden hidev vizard guisen dissemblev masquen dissimulationn incognitoadj costumen veiln deceivev pretensen imposturen

Synonyms & related words for disguise

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of disguise — including camouflage, mask, conceal, dissimulate, masquerade, hide. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to disguise

Explore words related to disguise — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include camouflager, cloaking, concealment, masquerader, masquer, unmasked, cloaked, subterfuge. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for disguise

Common synonyms for disguise include camouflage, mask, conceal, dissimulate, masquerade, hide, vizard, guise — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does disguise come from?

The word disguise breaks down into 2 roots of Latin and Germanic origin: dis-, from Latin dis (“apart, not”); and -guise, from Germanic wisa (“manner, way”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.