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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

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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
  • The double wins add to Rhys’ collection of gold across the acting categories.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In the eighth inning, the Yankees were losing 2-1 when Lombard crushed Andrew Morris’ 98 mph fastball for a double off the wall in left-center field.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of double
Adjective
  • Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • When Geese’s Cameron Winter played a charity show under a fake name this January, TV Eye was the place to see it.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 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
  • Harris has a strained relationship with the party's progressive wing, which includes El-Sayed, and El-Sayed is eager to solidify establishment support during his campaign against Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former congressman.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The nonfiction feature examines the filmmaker’s strained relationship with her father, an estrangement caused by his Oxycontin addiction.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of strained
Adjective
  • 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
  • That some people in these industries, including those who are well paid, would look at our economy and seek out other ways of doing things is neither hypocritical nor surprising.
    — Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Adjective
  • 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
  • Such play could have caused superficial abrasions and scrapes, offering the bacterium an opening.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 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
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Cite this Entry

“Janus-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Janus-faced. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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