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
  • Just ask anyone who's watched an AI confidently spit out nonsense—or worse.
    Bob Ras, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • While Drop, clocking in at an economical 93 minutes, may sound like fun and games, there’s something deeper and more human at its core than mindless nonsense.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Despite the current rhetoric, there seems to be rare agreement on addressing what many believe is a high-stakes issue.
    Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
  • However, given the increase in nuclear rhetoric coming from Moscow since Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022—coupled with the launch of Russian and Chinese satellites—NATO's concerns about security challenges in space are increasing.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • As always, Yellowjackets is full of mind-bending detours, supernatural gobbledygook, and foliage-laden costumes.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.
    Joshua Cohen, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
  • 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
  • Furtado, with a similar penchant for stretching out vowels and embracing gibberish, does the same with Elliott here, at times shrill but still compelling. 73.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
  • But at the heart of it is an army of armchair scientists tapping into the unknown, shattering relaxation boundaries and spewing gibberish all in the hopes that someone out there will tingle.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Related Articles Over the weekend, there was a lot of online chatter about Elliott either closing his business or selling it to Authentic Brands Group.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The last week has been a lot of chatter on the matter.
    Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Even with all of the fees and rigmarole that entails.
    Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Editors’ Picks Our Favorite Bathrooms Kermit has been through the graduation rigmarole before.
    Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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

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“Double-talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-talk. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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