Janus-faced

[ jey-nuhs-feyst ]

adjective

1. having two faces, one looking forward, one looking backward, as the Roman deity Janus.
2. having two contrasting aspects, as the alternation of mood in a capricious person.
3. two-faced; deceitful.
4. aware of or concerned with polarities; seeing different and contrasting aspects:

   a Janus-faced view of history.

5. having or containing contrasting characteristics:

   a Janus-faced policy.

Janus-faced

adjective

1. two-faced; hypocritical; deceitful

Word History and Origins

Origin of Janus-faced¹

First recorded in 1675–85; Janus ( def ) + faced ( def )

Example Sentences

“The State cannot be allowed to take a Janus-faced position — wholeheartedly proffering David’s allegations of abuse on the State’s criminal proceedings, while disavowing or discrediting those same allegations in David’s civil action,” they wrote.

From Seattle Times

It illuminates not just Lincoln's Janus-faced character, but the much broader story of humankind's complex relationship with the animal world.

From Salon

Janus-faced and ambivalent to tropes, Daphne’s narration is riddled with omissions and reversals that intensify the mystery of the broken window.

From New York Times

He was one of America's most Janus-faced leaders, a protean figure who could sincerely shift from the pragmatic reformer to the vengeful autocrat without any apparent qualms.

From Salon

Our understanding of facts is thus Janus-faced: at one moment we regard them as things, reality itself; at the next they are true beliefs, statements about reality.

From Literature