whataboutism

American  

[hwuht-uh-bou-tiz-uhm, wuht‐, hwot‐, wot‐] / ˌʰwʌt əˈbaʊ tɪz əm, ˌwʌt‐, ˌʰwɒt‐, ˌwɒt‐ /

noun

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of whataboutism

First recorded in 1975–80; from the phrase what about? + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

There is a lot of metallurgical whataboutism that goes on in commodities forecasting.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

Now allow me to engage in a bit of whataboutism, on the grounds that you can usefully gauge a movement’s health by comparing it to its counterpart.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

My point is not to engage in whataboutism, but to pose the question: Is Ms. McArdle’s outrage genuine, or is it merely performative?

From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2023

The claim could be seen as a case of China deflecting and engaging in "whataboutism", said Mr Thompson, which is a way of responding to an accusation by proffering a counter-accusation.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2023

Mr Poosh: "Literally every response he has is whataboutism."

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2023