duplicitous

adjective

du̇-ˈpli-sə-təs How to pronounce duplicitous (audio)
Definition of duplicitousnext
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception warned her not to trust the duplicitous art dealer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of duplicitous The takeaway, then, isn’t that students are duplicitous and depraved or that technology has eroded their moral core. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 19 May 2026 After backing out of an agreement to trade first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 for Crosby, DeCosta was decried as dishonorable, dirty and duplicitous, especially after Baltimore signed another accomplished edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, to a free-agent deal the following day. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 Their duplicitous conduct during negotiations is countered by the cold honesty of Iranian missiles. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026 In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America. — Alan Cullison, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for duplicitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duplicitous
  1. deceptive
  2. fraudulent
  3. shady
  4. dishonest
  5. crooked
Adjective
  • The standout interlude is the soldiers’ visit to the island domain of Circe, a treacherous witch played with deceptive calm and a misleading air of distraction by a bone-chilling Samantha Morton.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
  • Using a clinician’s name, image, or credentials in a synthetic endorsement without consent should be treated as deceptive practice, with liability directed toward those who commission or distribute the content.
    — Henry Bair, STAT, 14 July 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • Bruneau moved in with her boyfriend and told her family that Larry Brown was pressuring her to sign fraudulent insurance documents with inflated repair costs, according to the affidavit.
    — Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
  • Keep records of all communications and fraudulent transactions.
    — Brian Sloan,Dan Avery, CNBC, 15 July 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • Debbie, named after Coates’ mother, feels betrayed by Judith and her husband, who is involved in shady dealings with an Albanian gang.
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
  • But the story about the war hero Odysseus, whose journey home with his men is beset by sea storms, shipwrecks, gods, monsters and shady ladies, set the template for literature, comic books, science fiction and Hollywood epics for centuries to come.
    — Jim Beckerman, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • The state agency said clinic staffers had clients sign a personal injury waiver, which the commission said was unenforceable, against public policy and deceptive and dishonest.
    — Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 8 July 2026
  • There is no industry-standard pricing for tax relief, which is one reason why taxpayers can sometimes fall victim to overpriced or dishonest tax relief scams.
    — Nick Perry, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of dishonest
Adjective
  • Resurrection Dex’s Resurrection is an uncomfortably honest and self-critical mixtape about the British rapper attempting to reform his crooked ways.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026
  • Whitehead, meanwhile, crystalizes his sense of what makes the city run, where Carney fits in, and how the straight and crooked worlds are entwined in one strange ecosystem with laws that only the lawless can enforce.
    — David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Definition of crooked

Browse Nearby Words

duplicators
duplicitous
duplicity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Duplicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duplicitous. Accessed 20 Jul. 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 raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All