whataboutism

[ hwuht-uh-bou-tiz-uhm, wuht‐, hwot‐, wot‐ ]

/ ˌʰwʌt əˈbaʊ tɪz əm, ˌwʌt‐, ˌʰwɒt‐, ˌwɒt‐ /

noun

a conversational tactic in which a person responds to an argument or attack by changing the subject to focus on someone else’s misconduct, implying that all criticism is invalid because no one is completely blameless: Excusing your mistakes with whataboutism is not the same as defending your record.

Nearby words

what've, what-if, what-you-may-call-it, whata, whataboutery, whataboutism, whatchamacallit, whate'er, whatever, whatevs, whatnot

Origin of whataboutism

First recorded in 2000–05; from the phrase what about? + -ism