duplicity
deceitfulness or double-dealing
Root
- dupl / duplic: double, twofold, or folded in two
Other words with the dupl / duplic root
- duplicate: to copy or make double
- duplicitous: deceitful in a double-dealing way
Duplicity is double behavior: one face shown outward and another motive kept behind it.
The scandal revealed years of duplicity hidden under polite reports.
Duplicity is not just lying once. It is two-layered conduct: the person presents one version while carrying another underneath. Duplicate gives the double image; duplicity turns it moral.