Word: duplicity (noun)

Associations

Duplicity means being dishonest by pretending to do one thing while actually doing another. It often involves trickery or deceit. Think of someone who says one thing but means or does the opposite.

• Example 1: "The spy was accused of duplicity because he worked for two countries at the same time." Here, duplicity means secret dishonesty.
• Example 2: "Her duplicity in the business deal caused the company to lose a lot of money." This shows dishonesty in actions.
• Example 3: "He was known for his duplicity, often lying to his friends to get what he wanted." This means he was often dishonest.

Synonym: deceit. The main difference is that duplicity often suggests a kind of double-dealing or acting two-faced, while deceit is more general lying or tricking.

Substitution

In place of duplicity, you can use:

• deceit (general lying or trickery)
• double-dealing (acting two-faced or betraying trust)
• fraud (cheating, often legally)
• dishonesty (not telling the truth)

Each word changes the tone slightly. For example, fraud is often used in legal or financial contexts, while duplicity is more about personal or secret double behavior.

Deconstruction

• Root: "dupli-" comes from Latin "duplex," meaning "double."
• Suffix: "-city" turns it into a noun meaning a state or quality. So, duplicity literally means "the state of being double," which fits the idea of acting in two different, often opposite, ways.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where someone might show duplicity?
• How is duplicity different from just making a mistake?
• Have you ever felt someone was being two-faced or dishonest? How did that feel?