1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

Janus-faced

adjective

ˈjā-nəs-ˌfāst How to pronounce Janus-faced (audio)
Definition of Janus-facednext
as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express there was a Janus-faced quality to the interview: for all of the smiling and nodding, the interviewer's body language expressed deep boredom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for Janus-faced
  1. double
  2. fake
  3. lip
  4. strained
  5. hypocritical
  6. superficial
  7. hollow
Adjective
  • Ticketed economy and premium economy passengers who are at least 15 years old can pay $495 to book a four-hour session (no double bookings allowed).
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The bedroom itself is a typical loft with a low ceiling and a double bed, and is accessed by the storage staircase.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of double
Adjective
  • The Scarlet Knights ran a fake punt to convert a fourth and 21 for a 44-yard gain that sparked a touchdown drive to close the gap to three points.
    — Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The products, which sport fake USDA inspection labels, were distributed to grocery stores and restaurants across the United States.
    — Julia Hawkins, Idaho Statesman, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • Likewise, lip masks designed to be worn overnight can provide improved hydration and comfort over daytime treatments.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026
  • On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.
    — Essence, Essence, 23 Nov. 2025
Definition of lip
Adjective
  • Faith and family healing Practical communication strategies can be valuable when relationships become strained.
    — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • For too long, Washington failed to enforce our immigration laws, and the resulting chaos overwhelmed communities and strained resources nationwide.
    — Don Bacon, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of strained
Adjective
  • And members of these new churches were mostly not the black-dressed, hypocritical, sour-faced, monocultural figures favored by popular narrative, but often included colorful figures who were sometimes surprisingly modern in their desires.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • There is something deeply hypocritical about discovering and using the language of women’s liberation only when your own status, reputation, or income is at stake.
    — Laura Jung, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Adjective
  • That sets up a meeting in which any agreements might be superficial but a possible start to something larger.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Why Proxy Networks Are Different While proxy structure is also rented from third-party providers and serves as core infrastructure for data tasks, the resemblance is superficial at scale.
    — Mindaugas Čaplinskas, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of superficial
Adjective
  • Every unfilled titanium lattice sank as water flooded its hollow channels.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026
  • According to Mason Huddleston, an urban agriculturalist at Oklahoma State University Extension, one of the plant’s most distinguishing features is its smooth, hollow stem, marked with purple or reddish-purple spots.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of hollow
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

janitors
Janus-faced
japan
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Janus-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Janus-faced. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All