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I once found a word I really liked, but forgot, this was a word used to describe a person who pretends not knowing or being incapable of understanding certain information in order to avoid a presumed commitment.

For example, A mother may want one of two children (A & B) to clean 'the room', so she asks child B "Has your brother (A) cleaned the room?". So the audacious child B "responds I don't know", because he assumes that if he answers "no" (which is in fact the case), then he knows that he will be told to clean it.

In short, it is basically a word that describes a person who purposefully feigns ignorance for the ulterior motive of being negligent/lazy.

Thanks.

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How about disingenuous?

Disingenuous: Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.

Example: his journalist was being somewhat disingenuous as well as cynical.

— Lexico

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  • Yes. This is given at the duplicate listed second ('disingenuous: Assuming a pose of naïveté to make a point or for deception.')
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Nov 18 at 14:12
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I also forgot this word after reading it a year ago. I looked it up and I think this is what you were looking for:

Weaponised incompetence

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I know these are technically phrases but in my opinion playing dumb or feigned/feigning ignorance seem like the most apt/fitting expressions.

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  • Yes. This is given at the duplicate listed first (' I'm looking for a single word o[r] phrase to describe someone intentionally acting dumb or intentionally overlooking something obvious so they can deny responsibility or prevent themselves looking bad.')
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Nov 18 at 14:09

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