doublespeak
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- doublespeaker noun
Etymology
Origin of doublespeak
First recorded in 1950–55; double + speak, by analogy with doublethink
Explanation
Words that appear at first glance to mean one thing but actually hide (or even reverse) their true meaning are known as doublespeak. When a company "downsizes," that actually means a lot of people are losing their jobs. Instead of a blunt, straightforward word or phrase, doublespeak uses euphemisms and ambiguity to disguise or soften a message. Military leaders might refer to "servicing the target" when they mean dropping bombs, and a used car salesman most likely prefers describing older vehicles as "pre-owned." The word doublespeak comes from the George Orwell novel 1984 and is a cross between Orwell's terms doublethink and Newspeak.
Vocabulary lists containing doublespeak
Idioms and Expressions, List 2
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Idioms and Expressions, List 2
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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.
Or, Pezeshkian’s apology could be doublespeak aimed at obscuring Iran’s intentions, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
In a 420 word-long post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hit back, calling Anthropic "dishonest" and "deceptive" - and even accusing the firm of using "doublespeak".
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
The lifestyle doublespeak people used to survive under successive dictatorships in Eastern Europe came a little more easily to Poles, who had practiced it before.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2025
In our cynical times, most people are familiar enough with doublespeak to understand that anything called a "freedom city" is likely to be the opposite.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2025
In lofty bureaucratic doublespeak the policy was called the School Improvement Plan.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
