doublethink

noun

dou·​ble·​think ˈdə-bəl-ˌthiŋk How to pronounce doublethink (audio)
: a simultaneous belief in two contradictory ideas

Examples of doublethink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web George Orwell labeled the ability doublethink or indoctrination. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022 For weeks, people in Ukraine, and some people in Russia, have been stuck in the purgatory of doublethink. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2022 There’s a convoluted doublethink necessary to be a woman demanding power and a degree of liberty while working on behalf of a religious framework that doesn’t support either. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2021 The doublethink created by this language exasperates Carl Hart, a professor of neuroscience at Columbia University. Mike Jay, The New York Review of Books, 5 Nov. 2020 Emirati officials appear to reject the doublethink on Israelis and Jews that is prevalent in Egypt and Jordan. Dore Feith, National Review, 3 Dec. 2020 There’s a tricky bit of doublethink to this argument. Constance Grady, Vox, 30 July 2019 In an atmosphere of freedom — namely, Britain’s — they, too, were experiencing doublethink. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 8 July 2019 At the Starlight project, for which UCSB is the operational headquarters, entertaining the idea of seeding other planets with life involves a certain amount of doublethink. The Economist, 12 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doublethink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of doublethink was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near doublethink

Cite this Entry

“Doublethink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doublethink. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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