duplicitous

adjective

du·​plic·​i·​tous du̇-ˈpli-sə-təs How to pronounce duplicitous (audio)
 also  dyu̇-
: marked by duplicity : deceptive in words or action
duplicitous tactics
duplicitously adverb

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The Double Nature of Duplicity and Duplicitous

The idea of doubleness is at the core of duplicity and duplicitous. Duplicity is the older of the pair; it comes from a Latin word meaning "double" or "twofold," and its original meaning in English has to do with a kind of deception in which you intentionally hide your true feelings or intentions behind false words or actions. If you are being duplicitous there are two yous: the one you're showing and the one you're hiding. And—key to the idea of duplicity—you're hiding the hidden you in order to make people believe something that's not true.

The word is found in many works of literature, including the Bible:

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
— Proverbs 11:3 (New International Version)

Even when he sat opposite me in the kitchen, talking, he would turn his head a little toward the clock or the stove and look at me from the side, but with frankness and good nature. This trick did not suggest duplicity or secretiveness ...
— Willa Cather, My Antonia, 1918

Arch read it at breakfast the day it came out and again that night. He admired its art but was most affected, and in fact discomfited, by its unblinking inventory of self-seeking and duplicity.
— Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003

Examples of duplicitous in a Sentence

warned her not to trust the duplicitous art dealer
Recent Examples on the Web This eliminates spoiler candidates, wasted votes for eliminated candidates, winners with relatively small pluralities, and duplicitous tactics like Schiff’s and Porter’s. David Daley, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Boys will be boys, in other words, and women duplicitous. Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 McIlroy referred to early defections to LIV as players wanting to take the easy way out, and said that players were being duplicitous for pledging support and then taking the Saudi cash. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024 An oasis of greenery surrounds the duplicitous Emperor (Christopher Walken) and his daughter, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), but the change of scenery is all but undone by the characters’ colorless solemnity. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2024 As duplicitous warrior Yabushige, Tadanobu Asano entertainingly channels the young, Seven Samurai-era Mifune. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 That project involves the young woman’s infiltration of the Cap Ferret compound of Edouard, a duplicitous former Russian general and doting family man. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Pike's duplicitous performance is a blast to witness, but seeing Marla meet her match is just as gratifying. EW.com, 18 Jan. 2024 Because British strategic goals in the region were always paramount, both Palestinians and Jews found their colonial rulers unreliable and duplicitous at times. TIME, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duplicitous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see duplicity

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of duplicitous was in 1928

Dictionary Entries Near duplicitous

Cite this Entry

“Duplicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duplicitous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

duplicitous

adjective
du·​plic·​i·​tous dü-ˈpli-sə-təs, dyü- How to pronounce duplicitous (audio)
: marked by duplicity
a duplicitous indictment
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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