wolf in sheep's clothing
Syllables: wolf in sheep's cloth·ingUK/ˈwʊlf ɪn ˈʃiːps ˈkləʊðɪŋ//ˈwʊlf ən ˈʃips ˈkloʊðɪŋ/
wolf in sheep's clothing noun: someone who or something which is harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant.
Noun
wolf in sheep's clothing (plural wolves in sheep's clothing)
- Someone who or something which is harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant.
- He ſaith, He doth not plead for all who go under the name of Miniſters in England; he fears there is many of them no better than Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, &c. Then why doth he not come out, and cry againſt them, but remain amongſt them in their Practice? For wherein can he clear himſelf of any...1659, Edward Burroughs [i.e., Edward Burrough], “Some of the Principles of the Quakers (Scornfully so Called by Men) Vindicated, and Proved Sound, and True, According to the Scriptures: …”, in The...
- If the wolf was to be feared, the learned gentleman might rest assured it would be the wolf in sheep's clothing, the masked pretender to patriotism. It was not from the fang of the lion, but from the tooth of the serpent, that reptile that insidiously steals upon the vitals of the constitution and...1785 February 9, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Member of Parliament for Stafford), “[Proceedings relating to the Westminster Scrutiny]”, in [William Cobbett], editor, The Parliamentary History of...
- Synonyms:
- wolf in a lamb's skin, backstabber, betrayer, cockatrice, double-crosser, quisling, rat, ratter, recreant, renegade
- Antonyms:
- paper tiger, sheep in wolf's clothing
wolf in sheep's clothing meaning in Hindi, Telugu, Arabic and Malay
wolf in sheep's clothing in Hindi
- someone or something harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant
- भेड़ की खाल में भेड़िया bheṛ kī khāl mẽ bheṛiyā
wolf in sheep's clothing in Telugu
- someone or something harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant
- మేక వన్నె పులి mēka vanne puli
wolf in sheep's clothing in Arabic
- someone or something harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant
- ذِئْبٌ فِي ثَوْبِ حَمَلٍ ḏiʔbun fī ṯawbi ḥamalin
wolf in sheep's clothing in Malay
- someone or something harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant
- musang berbulu ayam, serigala berbulu domba
More languagesFewer languages
- wolf in sheep's clothing in Indonesian
- serigala berbulu domba
- wolf in sheep's clothing in Persian
- گرگ در لباس میش gorg dar lebâs-e miš
- wolf in sheep's clothing in Vietnamese
- miệng bồ tát dạ ớt ngâm, sói đội lốt cừu, khẩu phật tâm xà, ném đá giấu tay
Examples of wolf in sheep's clothing in a sentence
- If the wolf was to be feared, the learned gentleman might rest assured it would be the wolf in sheep's clothing, the masked pretender to patriotism.1785 February 9, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Member of Parliament for Stafford), “[Proceedings relating to the Westminster Scrutiny]”, in...
- A deceitful man is a wolf in sheep's clothing.1806, Thoughts on Deceit, Margate, Kent: Printed by J. Warren, […], →OCLC, pages 15–16:
- If the shepherds turn a wolf in sheep's clothing into the flock, they should not blame the sheep for being worried.[1828 May 15, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in Chronicles of the Canongate. Second Series. […] (The Fair Maid of Perth), volume III...
Synonyms of wolf in sheep's clothing
- wolf in a lamb's skin
- backstabber
- betrayer
- double-crosser
- quisling
- rat
- ratter
- recreant
- renegade
- serpent
10 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of wolf in sheep's clothing
| plural | wolves in sheep's clothing |
|---|
Origin of wolf in sheep's clothing
From Matthew 7:15 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Questions about wolf in sheep's clothing
- What does wolf in sheep's clothing mean?
- Wolf in sheep's clothing means someone who or something which is harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant.
- What is wolf in sheep's clothing in Hindi?
- Wolf in sheep's clothing in Hindi is भेड़ की खाल में भेड़िया (bheṛ kī khāl mẽ bheṛiyā). See Wolf in sheep's clothing meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use wolf in sheep's clothing in a sentence?
- If the wolf was to be feared, the learned gentleman might rest assured it would be the wolf in sheep's clothing, the masked pretender to patriotism.
- What part of speech is wolf in sheep's clothing?
- Wolf in sheep's clothing is a noun.
- How do you pronounce wolf in sheep's clothing?
- Wolf in sheep's clothing is pronounced /ˈwʊlf ɪn ˈʃiːps ˈkləʊðɪŋ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of wolf in sheep's clothing?
- The plural of wolf in sheep's clothing is wolves in sheep's clothing.
Words near wolf in sheep's clothing in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: wolf in sheep's clothing (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-wolf in sheep's clothing.mp3, En-au-wolf in sheep's clothing.ogg.
Cite this entry: “wolf in sheep's clothing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wolf_in_sheep%27s_clothing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.