doppelgänger
noun
dop·pel·gäng·er
ˈdä-pəl-ˌgaŋ-ər 
-ˌgeŋ-,
ˌdä-pəl-ˈgaŋ-,
-ˈgeŋ-
variants
or doppelganger
1
a
: double sense 2a
said she had seen his doppelgänger
c
: a person who has the same name as another
2
: a ghostly counterpart (see counterpart sense 3a) of a living person
Did you know?
According to German folklore, all living creatures have a spirit double who is invisible but identical to the living individual. These second selves are perceived as being distinct from ghosts (which appear only after death), and sometimes they are described as the spiritual opposite or negative of their human counterparts. German writers coined the word Doppelgänger (from doppel-, meaning "double," and -gänger, meaning "goer") to refer to such specters.
Synonyms
Examples of doppelgänger in a Sentence
In the story, the character is haunted by a doppelgänger.
at the mall today I saw someone who could be your doppelgänger
Recent Examples on the Web
But Diane arrives in the show with obvious bitterness about Cooper, and eventually — in one of the show's most intense scenes — reveals that years ago she had been raped by Cooper's dark doppelganger (also played by MacLachlan).
—
Christian Holub, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2025
Feel like driving an electric hypercar today, and its gasoline doppelganger tomorrow?
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 Nov. 2024
But don’t expect a visual dead ringer to drive differently than its doppelganger—Osprey has not extinguished the unique character and driving dynamics of the classic Land Rover.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
The promo released earlier this week featured a slew of Chalamet doppelgangers, dressed up in his various roles like Bob Dylan and Willy Wonka, but arguably the most recognizable lookalike was nowhere to be seen.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
Twenty-one-year-old Miles Mitchell won the lookalike contest in October — which took a turn when, not only did Chalamet arrive, but so did the NYPD, leaving one of the doppelgangers in handcuffs.
Watch the full promo below.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025
The dogs who served as muses for the float's talented creators got to visit their floral doppelgangers before the float's maiden voyage on Jan. 1.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
One of the doppelgangers even chooses the name William as a Riker tribute.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Bonus shocking points for ending the episode with Buck and Tommy breaking up and Ryan Guzman's Eddie (still reeling after dating his dead wife's doppelganger) doing full Risky Business cosplay.
—EW.com, 4 Dec. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Christian Holub, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2025
Feel like driving an electric hypercar today, and its gasoline doppelganger tomorrow?
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 Nov. 2024
But don’t expect a visual dead ringer to drive differently than its doppelganger—Osprey has not extinguished the unique character and driving dynamics of the classic Land Rover.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
The promo released earlier this week featured a slew of Chalamet doppelgangers, dressed up in his various roles like Bob Dylan and Willy Wonka, but arguably the most recognizable lookalike was nowhere to be seen.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
Twenty-one-year-old Miles Mitchell won the lookalike contest in October — which took a turn when, not only did Chalamet arrive, but so did the NYPD, leaving one of the doppelgangers in handcuffs.
Watch the full promo below.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025
The dogs who served as muses for the float's talented creators got to visit their floral doppelgangers before the float's maiden voyage on Jan. 1.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
One of the doppelgangers even chooses the name William as a Riker tribute.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Bonus shocking points for ending the episode with Buck and Tommy breaking up and Ryan Guzman's Eddie (still reeling after dating his dead wife's doppelganger) doing full Risky Business cosplay.
—EW.com, 4 Dec. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near doppelgänger
Cite this Entry
“Doppelgänger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doppelg%C3%A4nger. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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