double-dealing

American  

[duhb-uhl-dee-ling] / ˈdʌb əlˈdi lɪŋ /

noun

1. duplicity; treachery; deception.

---

adjective

1. using duplicity; treacherous.

double-dealing British  

noun

1. 1. action characterized by treachery or deceit

   2. ( as modifier )

      double-dealing treachery

---

Other Word Forms

• double-dealer noun

Etymology

Origin of double-dealing

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

Not a bad legacy, considering George Downing is summarized by his biographer thus: “Liar, blackmailer, seducer and thief, this double-dealing shapeshifter would betray both friends and principles without a moment’s misgiving.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

When you’re spending money that’s not your own but that one day might be your inheritance, it sometimes feels like double-dealing, psychologically.

From Barron's • Nov. 9, 2025

But could the popularity of this show, based on deception and double-dealing, tell us something fundamental about the contemporary British psyche?

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2025

Virtually every witness to the slaughter, including Blackthorne and Lady Mariko, is aghast, the double-dealing Lord Yabushige most of all.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2024

“That’s a loaded question and you know it, sir! I’m so sick of this moral double-dealing I could—” He had stung her, and she had shown him she felt it.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee