as in adulterous
relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
her husband's compulsive two-timing behavior is the reason she left
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in adultery
a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
he found out about the two-timing when he found a love letter stuffed in the dresser
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in betrayal
the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another
this repudiation of her campaign pledges is an unconscionable two-timing of the electorate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in betraying
to be unfaithful or disloyal to
an entrepreneur who's supposedly two-timed every business partner she's ever had
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 two-timing
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
With Kate Sprague, the two-timing wife of Rhode Island governor William Sprague, on his arm (the Spragues would divorce a year later as news of their affair spread), Roscoe Conkling turns up to remind James Blaine that his support for Garfield’s campaign comes with a fee.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for two-timing
Adjective
-
But the gamesmanship, foreshadowing the adulterous antics of Harold Pinter’s plays, escalates perilously.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The unapologetically lurid tale of two families locked in an ever-complex cat’s cradle of class resentments and adulterous power plays also swarms with queen bees and jaw-droppingly muscular men that feel straight out of the Real Housewives playbook.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Texas attorney general beat a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges and reached a deal to end a long-running securities fraud case but now faces a contentious divorce over allegations of adultery.—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The reality star's betrayal cost him a pretty penny in the end.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
-
To ventriloquize one’s parent is a bold move, and fictitious Barbara would absolutely read it as a betrayal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While the fellow players tried to talk themselves into a grand theory of gamers and/or Housewives betraying one another, Rob kept things close to the chest — developing relationships in thoughtful, quiet ways but always willing to turn his back on his friends when the timing was right.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Its accounts of outsize personalities, judges’ infighting, culturally insensitive photo shoots, manipulative producing, network executives betraying producers who in turn betrayed talent—all of this comes standard with tales from the annals of the entertainment industry.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The latest tranche of Epstein documents is shedding new light on the relationship between Gates and the infamous financier, as well as the former’s extramarital affairs.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
26 Feb. 2026
-
By 1986, Diana and Charles began having extramarital affairs.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That cheating is rampant in our elections.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Not every young person feels this type of cheating is wrong.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After Thomas Hickey was hanged that year for mutiny, sedition and treachery, Washington warned that his fate should serve as a caution to all soldiers.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
-
With their leader detained, El Mayo’s sicarios, or hit men, declared war against supporters of Chapo’s sons in an attempt to exact vengeance for the treachery and strengthen their own position in the wider organization.—
Daniel DePetris,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Later on, the stay-at-home parent might start to be in charge of bigger picture tasks like taking kids to extracurricular activities, touring college campuses, and planning birthday parties.—
Jana Pollack,
Parents,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This requires thoughtful planning around transportation services and extracurricular activities.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Two-timing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/two-timing. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
