two-timing
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: - Not faithful to a spouse or lover; engaging in a secret romantic or sexual relationship with someone other than one's committed partner.
Usage
This adjective describes a person who is deceitfully unfaithful within a romantic relationship. It implies betrayal and secrecy. It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predictively (after a linking verb like "is" or "was").
Examples
- She discovered her two-timing boyfriend was also seeing her best friend.
- I will not tolerate two-timing behavior in a relationship.
- He was accused of being two-timing and dishonest.
- How could you be so two-timing?
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a strong negative moral judgment and connotes cowardice and deception, as the person is maintaining two relationships simultaneously without the knowledge of one or both partners.
- It can be used in a slightly broader, metaphorical sense to describe deceitful disloyalty in non-romantic contexts, though this is less common.
- The politician was accused of being two-timing for making promises to both opposing groups.
Variants and Related Words
- Two-timer (noun): A person who two-times; an unfaithful partner.
- He's a known two-timer; you shouldn't trust him.
- Two-time (verb): To be unfaithful to a romantic partner.
- She found out he had been two-timing her for months.
Synonyms
- Unfaithful
- Cheating
- Adulterous (specifically refers to marital infidelity)
- Duplicitous (more general, for deceitful behavior)
Antonyms
- Faithful
- Loyal
- True
- Devoted
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Playing the field: Dating multiple people casually, often without serious commitment. (This differs from "two-timing," which involves breaking an expectation of exclusivity.)
- Cheating heart: A poetic or colloquial term for a tendency to be unfaithful.
- Straying: A euphemism for being unfaithful.
Adjective
- not faithful to a spouse or lover
- adulterous husbands and wives
- a two-timing boyfriend