Disguising
/dɪsˈɡaɪzɪŋ/
verbB1present participle
Definition
Disguising is the action of making yourself look or seem different from your usual self, often to hide your identity or to trick others. People can disguise themselves by wearing different clothes, masks, or acting in a way that is not normal for them.
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⚡ See It in Action
Changing appearance to hide identity
- •She was disguising herself with a wig and glasses.
- •The thief was disguising his face to avoid being recognized.
- •Actors are good at disguising their looks for different roles.
Changing behavior or feelings to hide true thoughts or emotions
- •He was disguising his nervousness by smiling.
- •She kept disguising her sadness with jokes.
- •Disguising anger with calm words is sometimes hard.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "disguising" like "hiding," but instead of just being unseen, you look different so people cannot tell who you are.
- ✓Picture a person wearing a big hat and sunglasses to hide their face in a crowd.
- ✓It's the feeling when you pretend to be someone else in a game or a play.
- ✓Sounds like "this-GUIZ-ing" → imagine someone putting on a "guise" (a different look) to hide.
- ✓Think of spies in movies who change their clothes and voices to avoid being caught.
- ✓NOT like "hiding" (just staying out of sight), disguising means changing how you look or act.
- ✓NOT like "pretending" (which can be only acting), disguising is about changing your outside appearance or behavior.
- ✓NOT like "masking" (which often means covering part of the face), disguising can be a full change of look or identity.
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Masking: covering or hiding part of the face or feelings (Use when focusing on covering emotions or parts of the face)
- •Camouflaging: blending in with surroundings (Use when hiding by looking like the environment)
- •Pretending: acting like something you are not (Use when focusing on behavior or role-playing)
- •Covering up: hiding something from others (Use in both physical and abstract contexts)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Word parts: "dis-" (a prefix meaning "not" or "away") + "guise" (a way of looking or appearance) + "-ing" (present participle ending)
- •Etymology: From Old French "disguiser," meaning to change appearance
- •Historical development: Originally meant to change or conceal appearance, often for tricking or protection
- •Modern usage: Used for both physical changes in appearance and changes in behavior or feelings to hide the truth
💭 Reflect & Connect
•Why might someone choose to disguise themselves instead of just hiding?
•Can disguising be helpful or harmful? In what situations?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.She was disguising herself ___ a hat and sunglasses to avoid being seen by the crowd.
2.Disguising your true feelings often means you ___ your emotions from others.
3.Unlike hiding, disguising means changing your ___ or behavior so people do not recognize you.
4.Actors spend time disguising ___ different characters in movies and plays.
5.When someone is disguising anger, they might ___ calm and friendly on the outside.
6.Disguising can involve wearing a mask or ___ your voice to sound different.
7.If you are disguising, people can see you, but they ___ know who you really are.