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The Double Nature of Duplicity and Duplicitous
The idea of doubleness is at the core of duplicity and duplicitous. Duplicity is the older of the pair; it comes from a Latin word meaning "double" or "twofold," and its original meaning in English has to do with a kind of deception in which you intentionally hide your true feelings or intentions behind false words or actions. If you are being duplicitous there are two yous: the one you're showing and the one you're hiding. And—key to the idea of duplicity—you're hiding the hidden you in order to make people believe something that's not true.
The word is found in many works of literature, including the Bible:
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
— Proverbs 11:3 (New International Version)Even when he sat opposite me in the kitchen, talking, he would turn his head a little toward the clock or the stove and look at me from the side, but with frankness and good nature. This trick did not suggest duplicity or secretiveness ...
— Willa Cather, My Antonia, 1918Arch read it at breakfast the day it came out and again that night. He admired its art but was most affected, and in fact discomfited, by its unblinking inventory of self-seeking and duplicity.
— Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003
Synonyms
Examples of duplicitous in a Sentence
Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 12 Sep. 2024
She’s been fairly duplicitous for the whole series, sewing seeds of discord between Amelia and Greer and showing little to no regard for anything but getting her hands on an exclusive apartment in New York City.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
Paul Bacon Ever duplicitous Manhattan: Donald Trump speaks out of both sides of his mouth.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2024
The plot concerns three main players: a suave con man (Ha Jung-woo), the low-level grifter he’s conscripted into a scheme (Kim Tae-ri), and a housebound heiress (Kim Min-hee), all locked in a duplicitous love triangle.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for duplicitous 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duplicitous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near duplicitous
Cite this Entry
“Duplicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duplicitous. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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duplicitous
adjective
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