Duplicity: meaning, definitions and examples

This word is often used in formal contexts to describe someone's behavior when they are deceitful by pretending to have one set of feelings while acting with another.

• Her duplicity in the negotiations cost the company millions.
• He was accused of duplicity after the true intentions behind his actions were revealed.

Deceit refers to the act of lying or tricking someone. It is often used to describe deliberate actions meant to mislead others.

• The deceit in his voice was clear to everyone.
• Their relationship was built on lies and deceit.

Deception is the act of being misleading or dishonest. It's usually used to talk about acts intended to produce a false belief in someone else.

• The magician's deception amazed the audience.
• She uncovered the deception behind the company's claims.

Dishonesty refers broadly to lying, cheating, or other forms of untruthfulness. It's used in both formal and informal contexts.

• His dishonesty ruined his reputation.
• Honesty is the best policy, as dishonesty can lead to mistrust.

This word is rarely used in modern English and is similar in meaning to duplicity. It's usually used in very formal or literary contexts.

• The duplicateness of his actions was hard to overlook.
• In literature, characters often struggle with their own duplicateness.

Used when referring to deceitfulness or double-dealing in behavior or speech. It often carries a negative connotation.

• He was accused of duplicity in his business dealings.
• Her duplicity was discovered when lies she had told to different people came to light.

Applied when something is twice as much as usual or when two things are paired together. It can also refer to someone who looks very much like another person.

• Please give me a double portion of dessert.
• He found a double of his original document.
• Many people say she has a double in another city.

Most often used for describing one of two children or animals born at the same time. It can also refer to something that is almost the same as another item.

• They are fraternal twins, not identical.
• She bought two twin beds for the guest room.

Appropriate when items correspond or match with one another in design, color, or pattern.

• She wore a matching set of earrings and necklace.
• The curtains and the carpet in the room are matching.

Used when two or more items are exactly the same in every detail.

• The twins had identical outfits.
• Their answers to the test were identical, raising suspicions of cheating.