Duplicity

Definition

Deliberate deceptiveness in behaviour or speech — presenting a false face while concealing real intentions.

Beyond the definition

Duplicity is betrayal in slow motion. The word names not just lying but the sustained performance of trustworthiness while pursuing the opposite. It's the gap between the presented self and the real one.

Origin & history

From Latin duplicitas (doubleness), from duplex (twofold) — from duo (two) + plicare (to fold). Literally: being folded double, facing two ways at once.

Example sentences

Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.

The investigation revealed years of duplicity at the highest levels of the organisation.

She suspected duplicity in his reassurances — he had lied to her before.

Corporate duplicity — saying one thing in public, planning another in private — had become normalised.

How to use it

This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”

Choose “Duplicity” when the meaning fits your context: Deliberate deceptiveness in behaviour or speech — presenting a false face while concealing real intentions.

Synonyms

deceitfulness, dishonesty, deception, treachery, double-dealing

Antonyms

honesty, candour, integrity, transparency

Related words

• mendacity
• perfidy
• guile
• dissimulation

Duplicity vs deception

Deception is any act of misleading — a single lie, a staged scene, a withheld truth. Duplicity is systematic deception involving a sustained double existence: saying one thing while intending another, presenting a false face over time. You can deceive someone once without being duplicitous; duplicity requires the sustained performance of trustworthiness while pursuing the opposite. Deception is the act; duplicity is the character.

Word in the Wild

See how this word appears in life, language and stories.

Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.

Fictional scene

False Face of Mimicry

One adult looks in a mirror while their partner copies their pose.

The mimicry is a form of duplicity; the partner presents a false face, concealing their own interests and intentions while copying the cues of the other. It is the act of presenting an image that is not one's own.

Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration

Questions about this word

What does "Duplicity" mean?

Duplicity is noun meaning: Deceitfulness; saying one thing while intending another.. Deliberate deceptiveness in behaviour or speech — presenting a false face while concealing real intentions.

Where does the word "Duplicity" come from?

From Latin duplicitas (doubleness), from duplex (twofold) — from duo (two) + plicare (to fold). Literally: being folded double, facing two ways at once.