Jekyll and Hyde

noun

Je·​kyll and Hyde ˈje-kəl-ən-ˈhīd How to pronounce Jekyll and Hyde (audio)
 also  ˈjē-,
 or  ˈjā-
: one having a two-sided personality one side of which is good and the other evil

Examples of Jekyll and Hyde in a Sentence

He's a real Jekyll and Hyde who can become violent without warning. his Jekyll and Hyde tendencies
Recent Examples on the Web As the sun and Uranus clash, someone’s Jekyll and Hyde act is shocking! USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024 The Elon Musk that Isaacson presents to us is a Jekyll and Hyde character who veers between engaging visionary and bullying authoritarian with a penchant for fart jokes. WIRED, 15 Sep. 2023 Skubal has been a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde so far this season, with some blowup innings ruining some of his efforts. Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, 11 Aug. 2023 After a Jekyll and Hyde spring that started soggy then transformed practically overnight to consistent sun, Portland is bracing for the usual round of heat waves and days when the thermometer tops 90 degrees (or even 100). Mrussell, oregonlive, 6 June 2023 But recent research shows that the story of HDL is not so simple—more Goldilocks than Jekyll and Hyde. Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 1 June 2023 The curtains closed on Monday night for the Boston Celtics’s Jekyll and Hyde routine. Sopan Deb, New York Times, 30 May 2023 Some dudes go Jekyll and Hyde, studious and committed on the job, a hedonistic man on the town. Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2023 The Jekyll and Hyde of it, to be a woman, becomes impossible. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 7 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Jekyll and Hyde.' 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

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, representing the two-sided personality of the protagonist in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by R. L. Stevenson

First Known Use

circa 1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Jekyll and Hyde was circa 1922

Dictionary Entries Near Jekyll and Hyde

Cite this Entry

“Jekyll and Hyde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jekyll%20and%20Hyde. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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