duplicity

[ doo-plis-i-tee, dyoo- ]

noun

, plural du·plic·i·ties

1. deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter; double-dealing.

   Synonyms: trickery, hypocrisy, guile, fraud, dissimulation, deception, deceit

   Antonyms: straightforwardness, directness, candidness, honesty

2. an act or instance of such deceitfulness.
3. Law. the act or fact of including two or more offenses in one count, or charge, as part of an indictment, thus violating the requirement that each count contain only a single offense.
4. the state or quality of having two elements or parts; being twofold or double.

duplicity

/ djuːˈplɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. deception; double-dealing

Derived Forms

• duˈplicitous, adjective

Other Words From

• non·du·plic·i·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of duplicity¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English duplicite, from Middle French duplicitė́, from Late Latin duplicitāt-, stem of duplicitās “doubleness”; duplex, -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of duplicity¹

C15: from Old French duplicite, from Late Latin duplicitās a being double, from Latin duplex

Synonym Study

Duplicity, deceit, guile, hypocrisy, fraud, trickery refer either to practices designed to mislead or to the qualities that produce those practices. Duplicity is the form of deceitfulness that leads one to give two impressions, either or both of which may be false: the duplicity of a spy working for two governments. Deceit is the quality that prompts intentional concealment or perversion of truth for the purpose of misleading: honest and without deceit. The quality of guile leads to craftiness in the use of deceit: using guile and trickery to attain one's ends. Hypocrisy is the pretense of possessing qualities of sincerity, goodness, devotion, etc.: It was sheer hypocrisy for him to go to church. Fraud refers usually to the practice of subtle deceit or duplicity by which one may derive benefit at another's expense: an advertiser convicted of fraud. Trickery is the quality that leads to the use of tricks and habitual deception: notorious for his trickery in business deals.

Example Sentences

Being decrepit and a demonically driven demagogue, he has only been successful in duplicity with those who cannot differentiate between fact and fiction.

From Salon

Don Wright, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist whose pointed work punctured duplicity and pomposity and resonated with common-sense readers, died on March 24 at his home in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 90.

From New York Times

Of course, the impresario of all the destruction and duplicity — Trump — has yet to face any criminal penalties.

From Los Angeles Times

There was no clue of Mizuhara’s alleged duplicity early on, as the story began to unfold out of public view and Ohtani’s representatives rolled into action.

From Los Angeles Times

What emerges from filings, public records and interviews are the contours of a life layered with duplicity and mystery.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• artifice
• chicanery
• deceit
• dishonesty
• falsehood
• hypocrisy

More About Duplicity

What does duplicity mean?

Duplicity is the practice of intentionally misleading people, especially by saying different things to different people or acting in different ways at different times.

Close synonyms are deceit and deception. A more informal synonym is double-dealing (which can also be used as an adjective).

Duplicity can also refer to the quality of someone or something that misleads in this way or to an instance of deception.

People who are liars engage in duplicity. The word is based on the idea of presenting two or more different versions of oneself or of a situation. Fittingly, people who use duplicity are often accused of being two-faced or of “speaking out of both sides of their mouth.” This typically means that they say different things to different people (in other words, they lie) in order to serve their agenda.

In a legal context, duplicity is used in a more specific way to refer to the inclusion of two offenses in one charge, which in many places is a violation of the legal process (in which each offense should be counted separately).

Less commonly, duplicity can refer to the state or quality of having two elements or parts. This sense of duplicity does not have the same negative implication as the primary sense of the word.

The adjective form of duplicity is duplicitous.

Example: There is clearly no shame in his duplicity—he says one thing and then turns around and says the complete opposite, barely trying to conceal the lie.

Where does duplicity come from?

The first records of the word duplicity come from the 1400s. It comes from the Late Latin word duplicitās, meaning “doubleness.” The beginning part du- means “two” and is the basis of words like duo, duplex, and duplicate.

Duplicity most commonly refers to a kind of two-facedness. It’s often used to refer to what someone is engaging in when they intentionally give different impressions to different people. One impression can be true and one a lie, or they can both be lies, but in any case the result is something that is not the full truth.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to duplicity?

• duplicitous (adjective)

What are some synonyms for duplicity?

• double-dealing
• doublespeak
• deceit
• deception
• dishonesty
• artifice
• chicanery

What are some words that share a root or word element with duplicity? 

• duplex
• duplicate

What are some words that often get used in discussing duplicity?

• lying
• misleading
• hypocrisy
• politics
• scheme
• gain

How is duplicity used in real life?

Duplicity is somewhat formal. It is usually used negatively, often in the context of people intentionally trying to mislead people by saying different things at different times, such as in politics.

.@ChrisMurphyCT is right: The level of duplicity is mind-boggling. The challenge is to make the fraud clear to everyone. https://t.co/a8Fsrdmsr6

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) May 5, 2017

This kind of duplicity is as predictable as a sunrise. And this is from a relatively responsible newspaper owner. Don't assume the large corporate chop shops will be any better. https://t.co/pn9354yZE4

— Nate Monroe (@NateMonroeTU) August 30, 2018

“Up until the mid-1970s, we really felt that we were still living under the guise of a single, absolute, created society—where there were known truths and known lies and there was no kind of duplicity or pluralism about the things we believed in.” – David Bowie, in 1999 #LikeWar pic.twitter.com/L6jmjxZasz

— Nils Gilman (@nils_gilman) October 8, 2018

Try using duplicity!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of duplicity?

A. deception

B. doublethink

C. doublespeak

D. double-dealing