Standard Lemma guide

duplicitous

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /djʊˈplɪsɪtəs/
  • US: /duːˈplɪsətəs/
  • US: /djuːˈplɪsətəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D UW0 P L IH1 S IH0 T AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deceitful, double-dealing, double-faced, two-faced, Janus-faced

Antonyms: unduplicitous

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill- W.M.Thackeray

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she was a deceitful scheming little thing
  • a double-dealing double agent
  • a double-faced infernal traitor and schemer

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ambidextrous, deceitful, double-dealing, Janus-faced, two-faced, double-faced, double-tongued

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English duplicity Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English duplicitous From duplicity + -ous.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: двуличен (dvuličen) — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Catalan: enganyós — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Chinese Cantonese: 表裏不一嘅 /表里不一嘅 (biu2 leoi3 bat1 jat1 ge3) — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Danish: hyklerisk — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Dutch: huichelachtig — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Dutch: dubbelhartig — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Finnish: kaksinaamainen — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • French: fourbe — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Galician: enganoso — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Galician: traizoeiro — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Galician: delusorio — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Galician: traidor — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • German: heuchlerisch — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Greek: δολερός (dolerós) — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Italian: disonesto — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Japanese: 偽装の (gisouno) — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Japanese: 二枚舌を使うような (nimaijitawotsukauyouna) — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Latin: decipiens — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Māori: tītipa — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Māori: raureka — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Māori: tuapeka — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Māori: whakatuapeka — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Māori: nanakia — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tvetydig — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ekvivokk — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Norwegian Bokmål: falsk — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hyklerisk — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Polish: dwulicowy — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Portuguese: fraudulento — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Russian: двули́чный (dvulíčnyj) — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Serbo-Croatian: dvoličan — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Serbo-Croatian: pr(ij)etvoran — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Spanish: engañoso — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Spanish: dúplice — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
  • Swedish: hycklande — given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech