🧵 Two-sided material 😏 Deceptive person

double-faced

8.4

Appearing friendly while secretly acting in a dishonest way

adjective
/ˈdʌbəlˌfeɪst/

Offensive

: hipócrita

Despite his friendly words, she found him to be disturbingly double-faced and insincere.

Examples

Nobody trusts a double-faced colleague who gossips behind everyone's back.
Many politicians are criticized for their double-faced promises during election campaigns.
Don't be double-faced!
She is double-faced.
Despite his friendly words, she found him to be disturbingly double-faced and insincere.
Many politicians are criticized for their double-faced promises during election campaigns.
Nobody trusts a double-faced colleague who gossips behind everyone's back.

Synonyms

sneaky

vsdouble-faced

101 4.4

Acting in a secret way to avoid being noticed or to get an advantage

is about pretending feelings rather than only behaving in secret

deceptive

vsdouble-faced

62 5.3

Appearing true but making someone believe something that is not true

is more about hiding motives and pretending feelings than mere appearance

deceitful

vsdouble-faced

31 5.0

Acting in a dishonest way to make people believe something untrue

is more specific, focusing on pretending feelings rather than general dishonesty

two-faced

vsdouble-faced

Offensive

22 6.7

A person who acts friendly to your face while saying bad things behind your back

is the usual everyday way to describe that insincere behaviour

duplicitous

vsdouble-faced

15 8.9

Pretending to feel one way while acting another way

is the general phrase for the same deliberate pretending

Janus-faced

vsdouble-faced

Offensive

9.9

To pretend to feel one thing while acting the opposite

is the ordinary expression for the same kind of hypocrisy

double-tongued

vsdouble-faced

9.4

Showing one feeling while acting differently to trick people

is the broader description for hiding true feelings and intentions

Antonyms

honest

∞ 1.0

Truthful and fair, not cheating or lying

genuine

156 3.2

Truly felt and not fake, for example a smile or apology

How Deceptive

duplicitous

15 8.9

double-faced

Offensive

8.4

deceitful

31 5.0

insincere

19 4.2

Surface Forms

double-faced positive

Morphology

double-faced = double + faced (semi-transparent) = double + face + ed

The composition 'double' + 'faced' clearly signals duality, but the meaning 'deceptive, two-faced' is a metaphorical extension rather than a literal description of surfaces.

Etymology

Double-faced comes from the parts double meaning 'two' and face meaning 'front' or 'side'. The idea is someone showing 'two faces' to different people, so double-faced now means pretending one thing while secretly being another.