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doublethink

American  
[duhb-uhl-thingk] / ˈdʌb əlˌθɪŋk /

noun

  1. the acceptance of two contradictory ideas or beliefs at the same time.


doublethink British  
/ ˈdʌbəlˌθɪŋk /

noun

  1. deliberate, perverse, or unconscious acceptance or promulgation of conflicting facts, principles, etc

"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 doublethink

double + think 1; coined by George Orwell in his novel 1984 (1949)

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.

See Examples For:

Greene and Bolling really provide a remarkable example of doublethink.

From Salon Sep. 5, 2025

Virginia Heffernan chats with author Michael Wolff about Siege, the sequel to Fire and Fury, covering Steve Bannon, Trumpian doublethink, how Wolff gets sources to open up, and much more.

From Slate Jun. 21, 2019

From Orwell’s evocation of the totalitarian superstate of Oceania, new words entered the language: doublethink, thoughtcrime, newspeak and Big Brother.

From Seattle Times Jan. 3, 2019

It bombards you with mutually contradictory claims, which often come packaged in doublethink pairs.

From The New Yorker Dec. 18, 2018

In Newspeak it is called doublethink, although doublethink comprises much else as well.

From "1984" by George Orwell

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