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Slang dictionary results for double standard.

double standard

American  

[duhb-uhl stan-derd] / ˈdʌb əl ˈstæn dərd /

noun

double standards plural

1. any code or set of principles containing different provisions for one group of people than for another, especially an unwritten code of sexual behavior permitting men more freedom than women.

2. Economics. bimetallism.

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double standard British  

noun

1. a set of principles that allows greater freedom to one person or group than to another

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double standard Idioms  

1. A set of principles establishing different provisions for one group than another; also, specifically, allowing men more sexual freedom than women. For example, She complained that her father had a double standard—her brothers were allowed to date, but she was not, even though she was older. [Mid-1900s]

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Usage

What does double standard mean? Ideally, we should all be judged according to the same criteria. But when someone is treated differently than someone else in the same situation, especially when women are treated differently than men or men are given more freedom than women, we call that a double standard. How do you pronounce double standard?[ duhb-uhl stan-derd ]

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• double standards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of double standard

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

"Maybe it's a double standard and down to my upbringing, but I still find it attractive."

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

Judge Ross is the latest in a long line of examples of the most hypocritical double standard: Judges hold others accountable for misconduct but are never held accountable themselves.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron's government Wednesday criticized Clooney getting his passport despite speaking poor French, saying the move suggested a "double standard."

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

Bass said it was critical that the next chief address one of officers’ main gripes: the view that the department’s much-maligned disciplinary system has created a double standard for high-ranking officers.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024

There was, however, a bit of a double standard when it came to romance.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein