False friends are worse than open enemies

[majid72]

Hello


Would you please come up with synonymous sentences for the following sentence?


False friends are worse than open enemies.

Thanks a lot

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

False friends are worse than genuine enemies.

I don't know another way to say that.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi, Majid!

It's a difficult sentence, because while "friends" and "enemies" are opposites, "false" and "open" are not.

Tarheel is on the right track, but false friends ARE genuine enemies, so it doesn't quite get at your meaning.

So your original version might be best.

This doesn't answer your question, but we sometimes say "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

That can refer to a false friend. It can also refer to a real friend who creates problems without meaning to.

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

Those who pretend to be your friends are worse than those who are openly your enemies.

Or:

False friends get close enough to stab you in the back.