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date: 18 March 2025

Doublespeak, 

Source:
Garner's Modern English Usage
Author(s):

Bryan Garner

the language of disinformation, is a subset of euphemism. In the words of a leading text on the subject:

Doublespeak is language that pretends to communicate but really doesn't. It is language that makes the bad seem good, the negative appear positive, the unpleasant appear attractive or at least tolerable. Doublespeak is language that avoids or shifts responsibility, language that is at variance with its real or purported meaning. It is language that conceals or prevents thought; rather than extending thought, doublespeak limits it....

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