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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doppelgänger doppelgängers

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

A Calvin Klein spokeswoman said the doppelgänger is a coincidence and the photos were taken in November, before “Love Story” aired.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

“I have joked — and it’s not a bad comp — that we’re reaching for Merchant/Ivory doing Hammer Horror,” says Eggers, who staged a version of the Germanic “Dracula” doppelgänger in high school.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024

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

Willem is the Dutch version of William, just like his American movie star doppelgänger.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

There are plenty of big-name doppelgängers preparing for judgment in the video too, but it was Lil Nas X who got the brunt of brutal discernment in real life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2024

Start at the beginning here; there is an involved mythology of renegade love, corporate malfeasance and secret doppelgängers.

From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 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

Others praise her performance in the film and poke fun at her many doppelgängers.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2023

The same players, or their doppelgängers; the same pictured nymphs smiling on the ornate walls.

From The Princess Passes by Williamson, A. M. (Alice Muriel)