Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for wolf in sheep's clothing. Search instead for wolf-in-sheep-s-clothing.
Synonyms

wolf in sheep's clothing

Cultural  

  1. Figuratively, anyone who disguises a ruthless nature through an outward show of innocence. Jesus taught his followers to “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

wolf in sheep's clothing Idioms  

  1. An enemy disguised as a friend, as in Dan was a wolf in sheep's clothing, pretending to help but all the while spying for our competitors. This term comes from the ancient fable about a wolf that dresses up in the skin of a sheep and sneaks up on a flock. This fable has given rise to a rich history of allusions as in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus speaks of false prophets in sheep's clothing, “but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

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.

In the psychological thriller “Heretic” from A24, the typically debonair Hugh Grant turns diabolical, but like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he’s disguised by a singular cardigan, one painstakingly selected by costume designer Betsy Heimann.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024

“Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 25, 2022

“A wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf. Know your enemy.”

From Fox News • Jun. 10, 2020

A wolf in sheep’s clothing separates the goats.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 2, 2019

Why, with that raging lion ramping and tearing about inside of him he was little better than a wolf in sheep's clothing!

From The Rosie World by Fillmore, Parker

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.