as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
warned her not to trust the duplicitous art dealer
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Recent Examples of duplicitous
Cruel, narcissistic, duplicitous—the list is long and by now so familiar that even some of Trump’s supporters concede that his most poisonous attributes are, to use the D.C. lingo, baked into the cake.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025
My mother is a duplicitous, bitter woman and my father is a weak-willed, hateful homophobe.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 17 July 2025
The Balloon Boy hoax would seem to have all the right elements for a revisitation: a hapless, alleged victim (6-year-old Falcon Heene), sky-high danger (the balloon reached about 7,000 feet), daringly duplicitous parents (Richard and Mayumi Heene), and a national profile that gripped audiences.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 June 2025
With Jackson as the criminal mastermind, Green as his duplicitous wife and Fleder (Runaway Jury) behind the camera, Just Play Dead has the cast and hook to tempt both streamers and theatrical buyers.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for duplicitous
David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025
My mother is a duplicitous, bitter woman and my father is a weak-willed, hateful homophobe.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 17 July 2025
The Balloon Boy hoax would seem to have all the right elements for a revisitation: a hapless, alleged victim (6-year-old Falcon Heene), sky-high danger (the balloon reached about 7,000 feet), daringly duplicitous parents (Richard and Mayumi Heene), and a national profile that gripped audiences.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 June 2025
With Jackson as the criminal mastermind, Green as his duplicitous wife and Fleder (Runaway Jury) behind the camera, Just Play Dead has the cast and hook to tempt both streamers and theatrical buyers.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for duplicitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duplicitous
Adjective
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In New Jersey, creating or sharing deceptive AI media can lead to prison time and fines.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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But the first time around, producers relied on deceptive camera angles and some CGI to edit out her pregnancy belly.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Andrew Wheatley, minister without portfolio in the prime minister’s office, said the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team has identified more than two dozen fraudulent hurricane relief websites attempting to divert contributions and donations from legitimate sources.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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Following a 2023 trial, a Florida jury found the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital liable for false imprisonment, battery, fraudulent billing, wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress — allegations by Kowalski's family that were documented in the Netflix documentary.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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An ambitious provocation, the book calls for a single-party system of government that ostensibly gives power back to the people (even if it’s been published by a shady corporation with its own interests in mind).—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
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Kue Lawrence delivers a chilling performance for the ages as Samuel Miller, a seventh-grade student recruited by a shady mentor (Michael Sean Tighe) to compete in the bloody contests.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Matthiessen, not without reason, portrays the Bureau as paranoid, dishonest, and in league with corporate interests.—
Maggie Doherty,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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For that incredibly dishonest assessment that actually did a disservice to the country, Obama is held up to widespread praise by Democrats and others, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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After a disastrous attempt at bedding Minde’s ex-girlfriend Edita (Vaidilė Juozaitytė), our flat-top sporting hero with a crooked smile meets Monika (Digna Kulionytė), an ambitious, studious beauty from the middle-class area of town.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
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Another crooked number against the Dodgers’ bullpen in the seventh inning cemented a 6-2 Game 4 victory that evened the World Series at two games apiece.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Duplicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duplicitous. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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