Jekyll and Hyde

[ jek-uh l, jee-kuh l ]
/ ˈdʒɛk əl, ˈdʒi kəl /

noun

a person marked by dual personality, one aspect of which is good and the other bad.

Origin of Jekyll and Hyde

after the protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)

Words related to jekyll and hyde

ambiguity, duplicity, proteus

British Dictionary definitions for jekyll and hyde

Jekyll and Hyde
/ (ˈdʒɛkəl, haɪd) /

noun

  1. a person with two distinct personalities, one good, the other evil
  2. (as modifier)a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality

Word Origin for Jekyll and Hyde

C19: after the principal character of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)

Idioms and Phrases with jekyll and hyde

Jekyll and Hyde

A personality alternating between good and evil behavior, as in You never know whether Bob will be a Jekyll or a Hyde. This expression comes from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Also see lead a double life.