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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
  • Once roles are introduced to the game, the players make a comedy meal out of loudly fake narrating what Sam is doing while they’re blindfolded.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Those who speak a password, released via social media, receive a fake business card, which does mean many a guest is standing there shouting a password at the actor.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 8 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
  • Crucially, the moment signified a major thaw in the strained relations between India and China, and this bilateral reconciliation is perhaps the most significant geopolitical byproduct of the summit.
    — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Larger concerns about strained military resources and funding for the war in Iran also became more pressing, as the conflict stretches into its seventh month.
    — Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 14 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
  • Duckworth also faced backlash from critics who argued that her message was, at best, a series of hollow exhortations to simply try harder and, at worst, an insidious form of victim-blaming that ignored structural inequality.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Well, that promise now rings hollow in the ears of every TSA worker today.
    — Hydrick Thomas, New York Daily News, 11 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 17 Sep. 2026.

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