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Synonyms

double bind

American  

noun

  1. Psychology. a situation in which a person is given conflicting cues, especially by a parent, such that to obey one cue is to disobey the other.

  2. dilemma.

double bind British  

noun

  1. a situation of conflict from which there is no escape; unresolvable dilemma

"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 double bind

An Americanism dating back to 1955–60

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.

This creates a vicious double bind for average employees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

The group dynamic is what interests Young most because what lies beneath is an inherent "double bind".

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025

In Sondheim’s lyrics, the double bind of attachment is often a source of agitation; in Ebb’s it is often a pummeling.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023

Even more so than writers, actors face a double bind when it comes to labor disputes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2023

To me, it felt like a sanity-warping double bind.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.