Definition of double-talknext
1
as in rhetoric
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 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
  • The conservative justice discussed lawmakers’ efforts to expand the Supreme Court, as well as the violent public rhetoric about the court and its members.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Whoever the next commissioner is needs to crack down on the divisive rhetoric.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Same goes for Chock Chapple (6), because life’s too short to be typing that nonsense in a search field.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • What Trump is serving up is precisely the kind of paternalistic nonsense that women have fought against for the past century, now applied to nation states.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • This dumbed-down Goebbels gobbledygook revived talking points that Habermas had tried to quash during the Historikerstreit.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • But at least some of it was gobbledygook.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Noun
  • And three, sometimes four, of those many waking hours are spent in the car — bouncing from home to school to her second or third job and home again — with music at full blast to drown out the babble of anxiety, most of it financial.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Companies modelled after Mary Kay that have reprised empowerment babble for their founders’ gain are mentioned but receive scarce judgment.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • Dozens of countries’ names were misspelled or written in pure gibberish.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Dozens of other countries' names were misspelled or written in pure gibberish.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The Korean Football Association was furious, responding to this juvenile, but ultimately harmless, prattle by boycotting the Korean press.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 24 June 2026
  • Some of the prattle can feel like treading water, a delaying tactic until the inevitable confrontation scene.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • And the rigmarole of international travel is a very good reason.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
  • Alternatives were mooted, such as filming in England, but flying all the crew from Poland, and their associated visa requirements, would have added to the rigmarole.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • As for the constant chatter about the unwelcome safety tech, Roma said the objections may be exaggerated.
    — Morgan Korn, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, as far as endings for superhero stories go, Episode 8 has a lot of chatter.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Double-talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-talk. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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