double bind
noun
: a psychological predicament in which a person receives from a single source conflicting messages that allow no appropriate response to be made
broadly
: dilemma sense 1
Examples of double bind in a Sentence
the double bind faced by every politician: responding to scurrilous charges only gives them unwarranted publicity; not responding to such charges is often interpreted as an admission of guilt
Recent Examples on the Web
Even Meredith receives compassion, with her struggles to project authority portrayed as evidence of the double bind of being a woman in the workplace.
—
Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024
Another possibility is that, as a woman, Clinton suffered from a conventional double bind, appearing too masculine for traditional voters and too feminine for those wanting a tough, masculine president.
—Monika L. McDermott, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2016
When a person’s in a double bind, they’re confronted with two irreconcilable demands and feel set-up to fail.
—Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
With such arguments looming, tour operators find themselves in a double bind.
—Natalie B. Compton, Sofia Andrade, Hannah Sampson, Gabe Hiatt, Reshma Kirpalani, Andrea Sachs, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Aug. 2023
The animal folk of Hollywood are finding themselves in a double bind.
—Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2023
Hindutva puts religious minorities in India in an impossible double bind.
—Supriya Gandhi, Foreign Affairs, 13 July 2020
This puts female entrepreneurs in a double bind.
—Kim Elsesser, Forbes, 6 June 2022
Demonstrating one cat’s double bind.
—Peggy Landsman, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2022
Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024
Another possibility is that, as a woman, Clinton suffered from a conventional double bind, appearing too masculine for traditional voters and too feminine for those wanting a tough, masculine president.
—Monika L. McDermott, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2016
When a person’s in a double bind, they’re confronted with two irreconcilable demands and feel set-up to fail.
—Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
With such arguments looming, tour operators find themselves in a double bind.
—Natalie B. Compton, Sofia Andrade, Hannah Sampson, Gabe Hiatt, Reshma Kirpalani, Andrea Sachs, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Aug. 2023
The animal folk of Hollywood are finding themselves in a double bind.
—Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2023
Hindutva puts religious minorities in India in an impossible double bind.
—Supriya Gandhi, Foreign Affairs, 13 July 2020
This puts female entrepreneurs in a double bind.
—Kim Elsesser, Forbes, 6 June 2022
Demonstrating one cat’s double bind.
—Peggy Landsman, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'double bind.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near double bind
Cite this Entry
“Double bind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20bind. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
double bind
noun
dou·ble bind
ˈdəb-əl-ˈbīnd 
: a psychological predicament in which a person receives from a single source conflicting messages that allow no appropriate response to be made
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