1
as in gobbledegook
language marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions the reporter listened to the senator's double-talk for about 30 seconds, and then repeated the question

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2
as in nonsense
unintelligible or meaningless talk the man on the sidewalk rattled off some double-talk, shoved the petition in my face, and before I realized it, I had added my signature to the list

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of double-talk Driving the news: The statement was published only in English on the Facebook page of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office — potentially another case of double-talk by Netanyahu. Barak Ravid, Axios, 27 Sep. 2024 The GOP Senate candidate in Arizona, whose brand is a combative, never-back-down MAGA politics, has adopted a position on the issue that is nearly indistinguishable from that of double-talking Democrats. Rich Lowry, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024 Pat Paulsen, a master of dry wit, delivered droll, double-talk editorials on social issues before mounting a presidential campaign in 1968 with the Straight Talkin’ American Government (STAG) Party. Fred A. Bernstein, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023 What new form of narrative, what gory amalgam of truth and spectacle, what double-talking rough beast approaches? James Parker, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2023 If his pre-prison projects were almost entirely freestyled, these songs are more tightly written, honoring the fallen, indicting the double-talk of the industry, powered by the energy of a bowstring being pulled back for a half-decade. Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double-talk
Noun
  • All of this exploring and staying open and slow-burn nonsense left us with half the villa coupled up but stagnant — unwilling to stray but unwilling to grow — and the other half hopelessly single.
    Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 25 June 2025
  • Sadly, the label would have none of that experimental nonsense.
    Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2025
Noun
  • In the absence of evidence, Trump always rushes in with rhetoric.
    Chris Brennan, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • In recent years, many of Ye’s public outbursts have had antisemitic rhetoric.
    DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • The six-episode limited series feels like a long movie broken into arbitrary episodes, its ending is mired by digital gobbledygook, and Marvel still doesn’t know how magic makes sense in a universe ruled by advanced technology and literal gods.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 June 2025
  • As always, Yellowjackets is full of mind-bending detours, supernatural gobbledygook, and foliage-laden costumes.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Trump prattles on about the economy while the actors freeze behind him in their ancient Galilee garb.
    Rosa Escandon, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
  • She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.
    Joshua Cohen, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Today's teen slang might seem like complete gibberish, but you may be surprised by how many terms echo phrases from the past.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 3 June 2025
  • Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports.
    Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Noun
  • There was a lot of chatter about the government replenishing local government consumer subsidy funds after strong demand, which led to depletion in several cities.
    Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • Based on all the chatter coming out of camp, Wilson already seems to be having a positive influence on the Giants.
    Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Rather than directly discounting the TV by £200, Samsung is likely hoping that some people will be put off by the rigmarole of going through the claims process.
    Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
  • The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole.
    John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • And given that these are not professional actors, or even (in most cases) people who aspire to be, LaBeouf’s words to them, full of deadly serious jabber about empathy and ego, are pumped up with an intensity that feels overdone and inappropriate.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 May 2025
  • Worse, such jabber crowds out essential coverage of genuine threats to democracy and the visions of the two parties.
    Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 16 July 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Double-talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-talk. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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