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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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.
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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
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
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By contrast, this rising international elite is creating something very different: a society in which superstition defeats reason and logic, transparency vanishes, and the nefarious actions of political leaders are obscured behind a cloud of nonsense and distraction.Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
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That ain't the show, the show is the nonsense that's happening in between John Wick.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In this upcoming moment of truth for Illinois, the speaker has the opportunity to give power to that rhetoric, which many on the GOP side don’t believe for a minute.The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
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However, much of the rhetoric online around looters seems steeped in racist sentiment.CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Apologies to the Lois Lane stans out there, but Adams is mostly on hand in these movies to deliver stern gobbledygook (something about isotopes?) and stare at Henry Cavill’s cheekbones.Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
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So, of course, their stony-eyed dedication to taking this inspirational gobbledygook seriously has gone viral.Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.Joshua Cohen, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
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The larcenous prattle is, in this sense, a typically Wiig-ian set piece: sunny, strained and flailing for dignity.Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
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Given this strange combination—Iron Guard nostalgia and Russian trolls plus the sort of wellness gibberish more commonly associated with Gwyneth Paltrow—who exactly are the Georgescus?Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
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Bernie spoke gibberish to investors when talking about his strategies.Richard Behar, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Using Cell Phones with Reckless Abandon While the ballpark is filled with cheers and chatter, nobody wants to be seated next to the person who’s loudly carrying on a phone conversation in the middle of it—or have to dodge the hundredth selfie snapped by the person in front of them.Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2025
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The compressed size of the court and the smaller arena mean players — and fans — will be able to hear much more on-court chatter.Remy Tumin, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Is there a company that prides itself on an absence of rigmarole?Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 July 2024
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Last season’s nail-biting seven-game battle was famously known as the I-80 series because both teams opted for the approximately 90-minute (depending on traffic) bus ride rather than the rigmarole of a short flight.Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
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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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Jacobs-Jenkins renders him as a wry, friendly figure who occasionally takes over the bodies of the other characters to explain what is happening beneath their jabber.Jesse Green, New York Times, 5 June 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near double-talk
Cite this Entry
“Double-talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-talk. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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