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

But that isn’t what Alaska officials were doing in seeking to boot a ballot doppelgänger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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

Bobbitt is one of several curly-haired, high-cheekboned Chalamet wannabees hoping to be crowned Chalamet’s doppelgänger and take home a $50 cash prize.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2024

When he entered a tournament, dressed in a khaki shirt and pants and dark tie and displaying that mustache, it was as if a doppelgänger of Der Fuehrer had been incarnated.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

By understanding the tactics employed by these digital doppelgängers and taking proactive steps to protect yourself, you can significantly reduce your risk of becoming another statistic.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2024

The comedian Susie Essman spots them regularly, out in the urban wild: fashion doppelgängers.

From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024

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

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)