doublespeak

[ duhb-uhl-speek ]

/ ˈdʌb əlˌspik /

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See synonyms for: doublespeak / doublespeaks on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of doublespeak

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

OTHER WORDS FROM doublespeak

dou·ble·speak·er, noun

Words nearby doublespeak

double sharp, double-sided, double solitaire, double-space, double Spanish burton, doublespeak, double spread, double standard, double standard of sexual behavior, double star, double steal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use doublespeak in a sentence

Meanwhile, on ABC’s The View, token conservative Meghan McCain was getting tangled in her own web of racial doublespeak.
TV Is Having a Talking-Head Crisis, From Sharon Osbourne to Dr. Oz to Meghan McCain|Judy Berman|April 8, 2021|Time
There’s too much doublespeak, and everything’s got to be couched in words.
Full Transcript: Sean Spicer on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’|Daniel Malloy|August 26, 2020|Ozy
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
You know how to decipher, and largely ignore, the marketing doublespeak.
The Perfect Use for Deadly Weapons|Chad Ward|July 21, 2009|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

Other Idioms and Phrases with doublespeak

doublespeak

see double talk, def. 2.

doublespeak

Origin of doublespeak

OTHER WORDS FROM doublespeak

Words nearby doublespeak

Words related to doublespeak

How to use doublespeak in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for doublespeak

Other Idioms and Phrases with doublespeak