newspeak

noun

new·​speak ˈnü-ˌspēk 

ˈnyü-

often capitalized

: propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings

Did you know?

Newspeak Comes From 1984

The term newspeak was coined by George Orwell in his 1949 anti-utopian novel 1984. In Orwell's fictional totalitarian state, Newspeak was a language favored by the minions of Big Brother and, in Orwell's words, "designed to diminish the range of thought." Newspeak was characterized by the elimination or alteration of certain words, the substitution of one word for another, the interchangeability of parts of speech, and the creation of words for political purposes. The word has caught on in general use to refer to confusing or deceptive bureaucratic jargon.

Examples of newspeak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many scientists produced by such a model will devote themselves to promoting trendy left-wing newspeak rather than advancing humanity’s understanding of the world. —Andrew Follett, National Review, 12 Feb. 2022

In baseball newspeak 2020, players are no longer optioned to Triple A Scranton or Syracuse or Pawtucket. —Dom Amore, courant.com, 10 Aug. 2020

For a grid with a lot of debuts there’s very little newspeak and branding today, and a lot of interesting bits and pieces. —Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2020

To be sure, Orwell was there to remind us about the dangers of newspeak. —Christopher O. Blum, National Review, 12 Sep. 2019

Newspeak: ambiguous language, chiefly used to further political propoganda, the term newspeak is also the language of Oceania, a fictional totalitarian state ruled by the Party, in George Orwell’s world of Nineteen Eighty-Four. —Patrick May, The Mercury News, 17 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Newspeak, a language "designed to diminish the range of thought," in the novel 1984 (1949) by George Orwell

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!