WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

wolf in sheep's clothing

Figuratively, anyone who disguises a ruthless nature through an outward show of innocence. Jesus taught his followers to “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

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Idioms and Phrases

An enemy disguised as a friend, as in Dan was a wolf in sheep's clothing, pretending to help but all the while spying for our competitors . This term comes from the ancient fable about a wolf that dresses up in the skin of a sheep and sneaks up on a flock. This fable has given rise to a rich history of allusions as in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus speaks of false prophets in sheep's clothing, “but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But for those strongly opposed to the AfD she is a fig leaf or - as one Social Democrat put it - a "wolf in sheep's clothing".

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In the psychological thriller “Heretic” from A24, the typically debonair Hugh Grant turns diabolical, but like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he’s disguised by a singular cardigan, one painstakingly selected by costume designer Betsy Heimann.

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In handing down a harsher sentence, Anderson referred to Moore as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

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“To use a religious term, I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Spilsbury said.

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There’s a lightness about Stanley that I really enjoyed incorporating into the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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