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

American exceptionalism has two sides reflecting the Janus-faced character of American history: we’ve committed singular misdeeds throughout history, mostly rooted in our colonial origins, but have also pursued a universalistic liberal democratic mission that has gradually been extended to more of the population thanks to their own activist efforts to force the country to live up to its ideals.

From Salon

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

In 2005, he won the Archibald, the prize he had protested in his youth, with “Self-Portrait Janus-Faced,” a painting Mr. McDonald of The Morning Herald called “a moving, complex picture that turned a cold eye on age and mortality.”

From New York Times