doublespeak

Definition

Any language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often by employing euphemism or ambiguity.

Etymology

From double + -speak. Coined in the 1950s in the vein of George Orwell's Newspeak as used in his book Nineteen Eighty-Four. The word doublespeak does not appear in the book, although newspeak, oldspeak, and doublethink do.

Example Sentences

• "The report was riddled with so much corporate doublespeak that it was impossible to interpret."
• "The popular and convergent use of information seems to represent something beyond the mere cosmetics of doublespeak, of a "garbage collector" turned "sanitary engineer" or a "strike" turned "work stoppage.""