Scribe of wisdom

Accismus

>Pretending not to want something you truly do desire
>A form of irony in which a person feigns indifference to or pretends to refuse something he or she desires.

Accismus happens when a person refuses something that they really want. Why would they do this? A very common reason is because they are being offered something where acceptance would break some belief or value.
Refusal may happen with the intent of slighting the person offering. Thus, for example, a man offers flowers to a woman who he has annoyed. She turns her nose up at them, even though they are her favorites.

Accismus may be genuine. It may also be false modesty.

Example

>An instance of accismus, the woman coyly rejected the flowers from her suitor even though she really wanted to accept.

>Though he expressed disinterest in accepting the gift, it was only an expression of accismus as he wanted to have it in the presence of his parents.

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