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The Double Nature of Duplicity and Duplicitous
The idea of doubleness is at the core of duplicity and duplicitous. Duplicity is the older of the pair; it comes from a Latin word meaning "double" or "twofold," and its original meaning in English has to do with a kind of deception in which you intentionally hide your true feelings or intentions behind false words or actions. If you are being duplicitous there are two yous: the one you're showing and the one you're hiding. And—key to the idea of duplicity—you're hiding the hidden you in order to make people believe something that's not true.
The word is found in many works of literature, including the Bible:
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
— Proverbs 11:3 (New International Version)Even when he sat opposite me in the kitchen, talking, he would turn his head a little toward the clock or the stove and look at me from the side, but with frankness and good nature. This trick did not suggest duplicity or secretiveness ...
— Willa Cather, My Antonia, 1918Arch read it at breakfast the day it came out and again that night. He admired its art but was most affected, and in fact discomfited, by its unblinking inventory of self-seeking and duplicity.
— Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003
Synonyms
Examples of duplicitous in a Sentence
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 8 June 2024
Other players include Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza), an ambitious, dangerous TV personality, and Cesar’s jealous, duplicitous cousin, Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf).
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 6 June 2024
Records dating back over a millennium show that measles has had a duplicitous nature since humans began documenting it.
—History / Elena Conis, TIME, 29 May 2024
In the Alias pilot, Sydney tells her boyfriend Danny the truth after they get engaged; her duplicitous employers respond by killing Danny to protect operational security.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for duplicitous 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duplicitous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near duplicitous
Cite this Entry
“Duplicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duplicitous. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.
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duplicitous
adjective
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