Janus-faced

[ jey-nuhs-feyst ]

adjective
  1. having two faces, one looking forward, one looking backward, as the Roman deity Janus.

  2. having two contrasting aspects, as the alternation of mood in a capricious person.

  1. two-faced; deceitful.

  2. aware of or concerned with polarities; seeing different and contrasting aspects: a Janus-faced view of history.

  3. having or containing contrasting characteristics: a Janus-faced policy.

Origin of Janus-faced

1
First recorded in 1675–85; Janus + faced

Words Nearby Janus-faced

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Janus-faced

Janus-faced

adjective
  1. two-faced; hypocritical; deceitful

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012