double bind

noun

Definition of double bind

: a psychological predicament in which a person receives from a single source conflicting messages that allow no appropriate response to be made; broadly : dilemma 1

See double bind defined for English-language learners

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 of double bind from the Web

In many states, this precludes transfer of Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and other data—a double bind that would make any federal data-matching and verification task, an endeavor traditionally reserved to state coordination, futile.

— julia powles, Slate Magazine, "Trump’s Voter Data Haul Tests the Privacy of Public Records," 12 July 2017
While the researchers are careful to note that their findings do not establish any causal relationships, even the observed correlations present a tragic double bind.

— jay willis, GQ, "All That Exercise You're Doing Could Be Making You Bad at Sex," 22 Oct. 2017
The double bind for female candidates is that women who contend for power are less likely than men to be seen as likeable, but likeability has outsized importance for them.

— michelle goldberg, Slate Magazine, "Will We Ever Have a Woman as President?," 31 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'double bind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.