Janus-faced

adjective

Ja·​nus-faced ˈjā-nəs-ˌfāst 

: having two contrasting aspects

especially : duplicitous, two-faced

Synonyms

• artificial
• backhanded
• counterfeit
• double
• double-dealing
• double-faced
• fake
• feigned
• hypocritical
• insincere
• jive [slang]
• left-handed
• lip
• mealy
• mealymouthed
• Pecksniffian
• phony
• phoney
• phony-baloney
• phoney-baloney
• pretended
• two-faced
• unctuous

Examples of Janus-faced in a Sentence

there was a Janus-faced quality to the interview: for all of the smiling and nodding, the interviewer's body language expressed deep boredom

Word History

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined above

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