doppelgänger

American  

[dop-uhl-gang-er, daw-puhl-geng-er] / ˈdɒp əlˌgæŋ ər, ˈdɔ pəlˌgɛŋ ər /

Or Doppelgänger

noun

• doppelgängers
  plural

1. a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.

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doppelgänger British  

/ ˈdɒpəlˌɡɛŋə, ˈdɔpəlˌɡɛŋər /

noun

1. legend a ghostly duplicate of a living person

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• doppelgängers
  plural

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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. ))

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doppelgänger doppelgängers

The Quaker chaplain usually posts about religion on social media, but said people would comment on her posts describing her as the Labour leader's doppelgänger.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Thanks to his digital doppelgänger, “I am accomplishing so much more that I couldn’t have accomplished before,” says Hoffman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

As the demands of these two facets of his life become overwhelming, he decides to hire a doppelgänger to take over his professional commitments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025

On that cold rainy day, Zendaya doppelgänger Zainab Bansfield took home the coveted $40 prize, hair care products and bragging rights.

From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024

Boaz thought of the memes he’d seen claiming that some actor was actually a time traveler, their doppelgänger found in a vintage photograph.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

A pair of women, seeming doppelgängers of Ari’s roommate and a second guest, suddenly appear; as inexplicably, the host vanishes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The author researched doppelgängers as a fellow at the Columbia Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris, one of the cities on Elsa’s global itinerary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

Heather Tal Murphy runs down four concrete ways A.I. doppelgängers of real people are already being used on screen.

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2023

Calley Skalnik and Genevieve Penn Nabity, a pair of blonde doppelgängers, added some needed verve, but “Anima” dragged on, especially in its partnering.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023

They walked before her and met her like doppelgängers, wearing the self-same old joy of her own face, but she looked at them unswervingly.

From Pembroke A Novel by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

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