doppelgänger
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of doppelgänger
First recorded in 1850–55; from German: literally, “double-walker,” from doppel double ( def. ) + Gänger “walker” (from Gang “motion, way” + -er -er 1 ( def. ); cf. gang 1 ( def. ))
Explanation
Someone who looks spookily like you, but isn't a twin, is a doppelganger. Originally, this was a type of ghost. The word doppelganger is German and literally means double walker — as in a ghost or shadow of yourself. An easy way to remember it is that doppelganger sounds like double, as in "That movie star is my double. We look so much alike." These days, most people don't refer to the ghost meaning when talking about doppelgangers: they just mean someone who looks a lot like you or could be your twin. Still, that is pretty spooky.
Vocabulary lists containing doppelganger
The Fault in Our Stars
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This Week in Pop Culture : January 5 - 11, 2019
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The Shining
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For musician Alen Dokic - who has produced a World Cup song under the alias Doppelganger - Bosnia's qualification is an example of 'Bosanski Inat', a cultural mindset of defiance and overcoming adversity.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
For example, Doppelganger, a $570,000 purchase, was moved to Brittney Russell after finishing fourth in the Los Alamitos Derby.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2024
That points toward the real challenge Klein confronts in "Doppelganger," which is not about her and Naomi Wolf but something much bigger.
From Salon • Sep. 14, 2023
“While Germany, France and Ukraine remain the most targeted countries overall for this operation, recently Doppelganger has added the United States and Israel to its list of targets,” Meta’s report said.
From Washington Times • Aug. 30, 2023
"I feel as if I had seen my Doppelganger," said Searle.
From A Passionate Pilgrim by James, Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
