duplicitous
Americanadjective
Usage
What does duplicitous mean? Duplicitous is used to describe someone who intentionally misleads people, especially by saying different things to different people or acting in different ways at different times. The word can also describe the actions of such a person. A close synonym is deceitful. A more informal synonym is double-dealing (which can also be used as a noun). To be duplicitous is to engage in duplicity, which refers to the practice of misleading someone in this way, to the quality of a person who does this, or to an instance of such deception. People who are liars are duplicitous. The word is based on the idea of presenting two or more different versions of oneself or of a situation. Fittingly, duplicitous people are often accused of being two-faced or of “speaking out of both sides of their mouth.” This typically means that they say different things to different people (in other words, they lie) in order to serve their agenda. Less commonly, duplicitous can describe something that has two elements or parts. This sense of duplicitous does not have the same negative implication as the primary sense of the word. Example: I’ve never met someone more duplicitous—he says one thing and then turns around and says the complete opposite, barely trying to conceal the lie.
Other Word Forms
- duplicitously adverb
Etymology
Origin of duplicitous
First recorded in 1955–60; duplicit(y) + -ous
Explanation
That guy in the drama club who tells everyone he hates organized sports one day and then joins the football team the next? He's being duplicitous, or pretending to have feelings that his actions contradict. In duplicitous, you can see the word duplicity, which means "doubleness." Someone who is duplicitous is almost like two people, saying one thing but then doing something very different, even contradictory. Someone who is duplicitous can also be called "two-faced," a vivid way to remember that this person shouldn't be trusted or taken at face value.
Vocabulary lists containing duplicitous
More Negative Words to Describe a Person
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Catching Fire
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Help
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Carl’s duplicitous behavior, meanwhile, leads Roy to think his brother is planning to make him the fall guy for their mutual misdeeds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
These duplicitous celebrities, so the rumor mill grinds, have hired mysterious surrogates to do their gestating work.
From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025
In the latest step in their bitter legal battle, lawyers for Baldoni, 40, has claimed Lively and her team made a "duplicitous attempt to destroy" him.
From BBC • Jan. 16, 2025
“The law may be on the side of the Defendants and compel a resolution in their favor today, but it does not excuse their culpable and duplicitous conduct,” Moses wrote.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2023
Does this make me feel villainously duplicitous and like the most awful person on earth?
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
