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Suffix · forms adjectives

-faced

having a face (or manner of presenting oneself) of a specified character; describing expression, tone, or moral boldness

In Spanish: de cara / de rostro / con semblanteLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated June 2026

What this suffix does

-faced forms compound adjectives that describe the face as a surface of moral and emotional expression. Two-faced, barefaced, bold-faced, hard-faced, straight-faced — each compound uses the face as a site of moral revelation. The face in these compounds is not a purely physical feature but a moral signal: it shows what a person is willing to display and what they are able to conceal. "Barefaced" and "bold-faced" exploit the vulnerability of an uncovered face; "two-faced" exploits the impossibility of having two faces. These are among the most vivid character judgments in English.

How it is pronounced

-faced

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -faced
In a phrase
  • twotwo-facedThe two-faced colleague praised her work to her face while undermining her in every team meeting she missed.
  • barebarefacedThe barefaced lie shocked the committee — he denied events that had been recorded on camera.
  • straightstraight-facedShe delivered the absurd explanation straight-faced, without a single flicker of amusement.
  • hardhard-facedThe hard-faced negotiator made it clear from the first minute that sentiment would play no part in the discussions.
  • boldbold-facedThe bold-faced claim that the company had no knowledge of the fraud was immediately contradicted by the documents.

Common mistakes

two-faced = having two physical faces
two-faced = hypocritical; presenting different faces to different people

"Two-faced" is always figurative and always negative. It describes someone who says one thing to one person and another to someone else — who presents a different face depending on who is watching. It implies conscious, sustained hypocrisy rather than momentary inconsistency. It is one of the strongest terms of social criticism in everyday English.

barefaced = having an uncovered face
barefaced = shameless and open; done without any attempt at concealment or excuse

"Barefaced" in the sense of shameless derives from the historical convention that a covered face (a veil, a mask, a beard) provided a kind of concealment or modesty. To be "barefaced" is to stand fully exposed and to feel no shame about it. A "barefaced lie" is not just a lie but a lie told with open defiance — without even the pretence of trying to make it plausible.

A trick to remember it

The face is the primary surface of social presentation — we show our face to the world, we put on a brave face, we face facts. -faced compounds exploit this cultural weight. "Two-faced" says: this person has two presentations and you are only seeing one. "Barefaced" says: this person presents something shameless with no attempt at concealment. "Straight-faced" says: this person can control what their face shows. In each case the face is not just a feature but a statement.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "He was the most ___ person on the team — warmly supportive in meetings and actively sabotaging everyone's projects in private." (hypocritical; presenting a different face to different people)

Hint: Two + faced = appearing to have two different faces depending on who is watching.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"The barefaced denial, made while the evidence sat visible on the table, left everyone in the room speechless." What does "barefaced" suggest?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "The comedian delivered the most outrageous observations completely ___, letting the audience's laughter confirm each absurdity." (without any expression; maintaining a serious expression deliberately)

Hint: Straight + faced = whose face shows no expression; maintaining a neutral or serious expression.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -faced mean in English?

The suffix -faced having a face (or manner of presenting oneself) of a specified character; describing expression, tone, or moral boldness In Spanish it usually maps to de cara / de rostro / con semblante.

Can you give an example of a word with -faced?

"two" becomes "two-faced". It is a typical example of the -faced suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -eyed

    having eyes of a specified kind, or looking at the world in a specified way

  • -headed

    having a specified type of mental clarity, character, or state of mind

  • -tongued

    speaking in a specified way; having a tongue with a particular quality of persuasion, sharpness, or deception

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

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