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

---

Etymology

Origin of doublethink

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

Example Sentences

Greene and Bolling really provide a remarkable example of doublethink.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2025

As a scientist and journalist who has spent years thinking and writing about climate change, I was confused and saddened by the apparent doublethink I saw in Japan.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2020

This is hardly Orwellian doublethink, however, this notion that even the worst among us shouldn’t be violated by our colleagues.

From The Guardian • Dec. 10, 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

Ultimately it is by means of doublethink that the Party has been able—and may, for all we know, continue to be able for thousands of years—to arrest the course of history.

From "1984" by George Orwell