Janus-faced
Americanadjective
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having two faces, one looking forward, one looking backward, as the Roman deity Janus.
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having two contrasting aspects, as the alternation of mood in a capricious person.
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two-faced; deceitful.
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aware of or concerned with polarities; seeing different and contrasting aspects.
a Janus-faced view of history.
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having or containing contrasting characteristics.
a Janus-faced policy.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of Janus-faced
First recorded in 1675–85; Janus ( def. ) + faced ( def. )
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.
Every renaissance is Janus-faced, he notes, looking “backward and forward at the same time.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
“The State cannot be allowed to take a Janus-faced position — wholeheartedly proffering David’s allegations of abuse on the State’s criminal proceedings, while disavowing or discrediting those same allegations in David’s civil action,” they wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
He was one of America's most Janus-faced leaders, a protean figure who could sincerely shift from the pragmatic reformer to the vengeful autocrat without any apparent qualms.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2023
It’s a Janus-faced probe of two opposite things at once.
From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2020
I could not make sense of this Janus-faced husband who spoke false and true at once.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
