evil twin

American  

[ee-vuhl twin] / ˈi vəl ˈtwɪn /

noun

1. a character in a work of fiction who is the evil identical twin, clone, or counterpart of another character.

   The actor plays two roles—the protagonist and his evil twin, who serves as an antagonist for much of the film.

2. any person or thing that is the negative counterpart of another person or thing.

   You may find yourself haunted by hope's evil twin, regret, wondering why you ever bought the stock in the first place.

3. Computers. a secret wireless internet access point set up near a legitimate one in order to gather personal or sensitive information.

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evil twin British  

noun

1. a hidden wireless internet access point operating near a legitimate one, but which is actually used by cybercriminals to divert sensitive information such as account numbers and passwords

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Etymology

Origin of evil twin

First recorded in 1910–15; 2005–10 evil twin for def. 3

Example Sentences

But up close, Venus is more like an evil twin: it is covered with thick clouds of sulfuric acid, and its surface has a mean temperature close to 500°C.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

That’s Venus, the second rock from the sun, Earth’s evil twin and frequent UFO impersonator.

From Scientific American • Jun. 2, 2023

The notion of an evil twin was represented on the runway by motifs from the 1980s movie ‘’Gremlins,’’ in which the creatures transform to become naughty.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 23, 2022

An official Sundance Film Festival selection, “Hatching” was born out of a nightmare that screenwriter Ilja Rautsi had about an evil twin causing mayhem and leaving him to take the blame.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2022

As if this period was suddenly the new episode of a soap opera, and the long-thought-dead evil twin had just sauntered back into town.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway