hyde

IPA/haɪd/
KK[hˈaɪd]IPA/haɪd/

hyde — noun

1. a person whose character has two extremely different sides — one gentle and frie

1.nounB2
Definition

a person whose character has two extremely different sides — one gentle and friendly, the other cruel and violent — as if they were two separate people living in one body.

Example

Our manager is a Jekyll and Hyde — kind in meetings but cruel to staff afterwards.

pattern: 'a Jekyll and Hyde' with contrastive pair

The novel is about a doctor whose Jekyll and Hyde nature takes over his life.

used as modifier: 'Jekyll and Hyde personality'

Common collocations
  • a Jekyll and Hyde
  • Jekyll and Hyde personality
  • Jekyll and Hyde nature
  • real Jekyll and Hyde
Synonyms
  • two-faced person

    informal; focuses on dishonesty rather than a radical split between good and evil

  • split personality

    informal; can refer to a psychological condition or a drastic change in behaviour

Grammar Patterns

a Jekyll and Hyde [noun]

[someone] is a Jekyll and Hyde

Usage Note

Commonly paired with 'Jekyll' in the fixed phrase 'a Jekyll and Hyde', taken from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella. The word 'Hyde' alone (without 'Jekyll') is rarely used this way.

Common Mistakes

He is such a Hyde — you never know which side you will get.
He is such a Jekyll and Hyde
you never know which side you will get.' — 'Hyde' alone is not used for the dual-personality meaning; the full phrase 'a Jekyll and Hyde' is required.

2. Douglas Hyde (1860–1949), an Irish author, poet, and language activist who co-fo

2.nounC1
Definition

Douglas Hyde (1860–1949), an Irish author, poet, and language activist who co-founded the Gaelic League and served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945.

Example

Douglas Hyde co-founded the Gaelic League to promote Irish language and culture.

proper noun: 'Douglas Hyde' in historical context

As first President of Ireland, Hyde helped shape the young nation's identity.

Common collocations
  • Douglas Hyde
  • President Hyde
  • Hyde's presidency

Usage Note

This entry is a biographical reference for the proper name 'Douglas Hyde'. When referring to him by surname alone, use 'Hyde' in formal or historical contexts.

Word family

  • Jekyll and Hyde
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three terms describe someone whose behaviour shifts between two opposing states, but they differ in origin and nuance. 'Jekyll and Hyde' comes from Robert Louis Stevenson's novella and implies a dramatic contrast between good and evil — the person seems to contain two wholly different individuals. 'Two-faced person' is a more informal, everyday term that emphasises hypocrisy: saying one thing while meaning another, usually for personal gain. 'Split personality' is an informal (and clinically inaccurate) term for drastic mood or behaviour changes; it suggests instability rather than intentional deceit. Use 'Jekyll and Hyde' when the contrast is extreme and morally charged ('The coach was a Jekyll and Hyde — gentle with his own children but cruel to players'), and 'two-faced' when the focus is on dishonesty ('She smiled at him in public but gossiped behind his back — such a two-faced person').

Jekyll and Hydetwo-faced personsplit personality

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The surname Hyde comes from Old English 'hīd' meaning 'a measure of land' (a hide of land — enough to support one family). In the literary sense, Mr. Hyde is the evil alter ego of Dr. Jekyll in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, where 'Hyde' suggests both the surname of the story's villain and the idea of hiding or concealment.