duplicity

noun

du̇-ˈpli-sə-tē How to pronounce duplicity (audio)
Definition of duplicitynext
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery we were lucky not to be taken in by his duplicity

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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 duplicity This latest act of duplicity is a new low, even for the HFPA. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026 But honesty doesn’t always save a career, and duplicity doesn’t always sink one. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 June 2026 Molloy rages to his film crew, and Lestat’s duplicity plants a wedge between the vamps. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026 Pakistan, for its part, accused Washington of its own duplicity, relying on Pakistan as a partner to fight terrorism, yet never fully backing the country in its conflicts with India. — Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for duplicity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duplicity
  1. deception
  2. deceit
  3. deceptiveness
  4. fraud
  5. deceitfulness
  6. cheating
  7. cunning
Noun
  • Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This experience combines identity deception, autonomous agent action and software supply-chain risk, along with social engineering devised by an agent and directed against a human.
    — Carlo Tortora Brayda, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • There was money, manipulation, secret meetings with shady characters in China, fake identities, lies, trickery, and deceit.
    — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Its Emmy success, and Rhys’s record-setting win along with it, is built on a foundation of deceit.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
    — Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of deceptiveness
Noun
  • Theranos turned out to be a fraud, will be moved from her current minimum-security prison to a halfway house next year to finish out her prison term, officials said.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, DeSantis announced the creation of a new national group of election officials, with the aim of installing Florida’s legal changes designed to prevent voter fraud and crack down on those who vote illegally.
    — Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of deceitfulness
Noun
  • Manchester City, one of the most successful teams in the world in recent years, has been found guilty of systematically cheating – financially doping its way to dominance for the best part of a decade.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Practically everyone, regardless of political affiliation, must understand by now that there simply is no evidence of widespread — significant, meaningful — voter cheating in California or anywhere else in America.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheating
Noun
  • Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried out in a very unwise manner, given the woman’s cunning.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Nolan foregrounds the nobility that guides the character (his guilt, his dedication to his men, his yearning for his family) and neglects his wily cunning and egotism.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of cunning

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duplicitous
duplicity
durabilities
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Cite this Entry

“Duplicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duplicity. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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