doublespeak

[ duhb-uh l-speek ]

/ ˈdʌb əlˌspik /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR doublespeak ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of doublespeak

1950–55; double + speak, by analogy with doublethink

Related formsdou·ble·speak·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for doublespeak

Hollande is ‘the king of doublespeak, ambiguity, and perpetual lies’
Hell Hath No Fury Like Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Ex|Lizzie Crocker|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Cold War had become a battlefield marked by doublespeak.
What Cold War CIA Interrogators Learned from the Nazis|Annie Jacobsen|February 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He argues that the Islamists are two-faced and engage in doublespeak.
Tunisia’s Dark Turn|Jamie Dettmer|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Facebook brought this on itself, with too many sneaky privacy changes, too much hubris and doublespeak.
Google’s New Twitter Killer|Dan Lyons|July 27, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for doublespeak

doublespeak

/ (ˈdʌbəlˌspiːk) /

noun

the practice of using ambiguous language regarding political, military, or corporate matters in a deliberate attempt to disguise the truth

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

Word Origin and History for doublespeak

doublespeak

1957, from double (adj.) + speak, coined on model of doublethink in Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (the language in that book was Newspeak).

Idioms and Phrases with doublespeak

doublespeak

see double talk, def. 2.