A.Word.A.Day --Orwellism

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Today's Word

Orwellism

PRONUNCIATION:

(OR-wuh-liz-uhm)

MEANING:

noun: Something misleading, such as a word or phrase used euphemistically or ambiguously for propaganda purposes.

ETYMOLOGY:

After George Orwell (1903-1950), whose novel 1984 depicted a futuristic totalitarian state employing misleading language for propaganda and control. Earliest documented use: 1970. Also see newspeak and Orwellian.

USAGE:

“[Premier Kathleen Wynne] also embraced one of neo-liberalism’s core tenets: privatization of public goods, under the hideous Orwellism of ‘broadening’ its ownership.”
Rick Salutin; Neo-Liberalism Is a Spent Force and Patrick Brown Knows It; Toronto Star (Canada); Dec 1, 2017.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time. -Barbara Kingsolver, novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 8 Apr 1955)

What they say

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