doublespeak

[ duhb-uhl-speek ]

noun

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

doublespeak

/ ˈdʌbəlˌspiːk /

noun

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

Other Words From

• double·speaker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of doublespeak¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see double talk , def. 2.

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, on ABC’s The View, token conservative Meghan McCain was getting tangled in her own web of racial doublespeak.

From Time

There’s too much doublespeak, and everything’s got to be couched in words.

From Ozy

Hollande is ‘the king of doublespeak, ambiguity, and perpetual lies’

From The Daily Beast

The Cold War had become a battlefield marked by doublespeak.

From The Daily Beast

He argues that the Islamists are two-faced and engage in doublespeak.

From The Daily Beast

Facebook brought this on itself, with too many sneaky privacy changes, too much hubris and doublespeak.

From The Daily Beast

You know how to decipher, and largely ignore, the marketing doublespeak.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• deceive
• misguide
• mislead