doublethink

American

[duhb-uhl-thingk] / ˈdʌb əlˌθɪŋk /

noun

the acceptance of two contradictory ideas or beliefs at the same time.

doublethink British

/ ˈdʌbəlˌθɪŋk /

noun

deliberate, perverse, or unconscious acceptance or promulgation of conflicting facts, principles, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of doublethink

double + think ¹; coined by George Orwell in his novel 1984 (1949)

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.

Greene and Bolling really provide a remarkable example of doublethink.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2025

Victimhood culture advocates engage in a lot of doublethink.

From The Guardian • Feb. 25, 2019

From Orwell’s evocation of the totalitarian superstate of Oceania, new words entered the language: doublethink, thoughtcrime, newspeak and Big Brother.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 3, 2019

When it comes to celebrity news, it can sometimes be difficult to keep the doublethink going.

From Slate • Sep. 22, 2018

But in any case an elaborate mental training, undergone in childhood and grouping itself round the Newspeak words crimestop, blackwhite, and doublethink, makes him unwilling and unable to think too deeply on any subject whatever.

From "1984" by George Orwell

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