doppelgänger

or Doppelgänger

[ dop-uh l-gang-er; German daw-puh l-geng-er ]

/ ˈdɒp əlˌgæŋ ər; German ˈdɔ pəlˌgɛŋ ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR doppelgänger ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.

RELATED WORDS

apparition, spirit, double

Nearby words

Origin of doppelgänger

1850–55; < German: literally, double-walker

Also called doubleganger.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for doppelganger

So she embarked on a quest to find her Palestinian doppelganger.
Israel, Hamas, WhatsApp and Hacked Phones in the Gaza Psy-War|Itay Hod|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He says the character of Matt is, in a way, his doppelganger.
Max Friedlich, Teenage Playwright, Dazzles With Controversial ‘SleepOver’|Ramin Setoodeh|August 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Bogosian talked to The Daily Beast about his dark Rothian doppelganger.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Jerk|Lizzie Stark|May 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Westfall began to watch for Louise and to trot after her like a doppelganger.
Danger! A True History of a Great City's Wiles and Temptations|William Howe

British Dictionary definitions for doppelganger

doppelgänger

/ (ˈdɒpəlˌɡɛŋə, German ˈdɔpəlˌɡɛŋər) /

noun

legend a ghostly duplicate of a living person

Word Origin for doppelgänger

from German Doppelgänger, literally: double-goer

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

Word Origin and History for doppelganger

doppelganger

1830, from German Doppelgänger, literally "double-goer," originally with a ghostly sense. See double + gang (n.). Sometimes half-anglicized as doubleganger.