doppelgänger
noun
Did you know?
According to German folklore, all living creatures have an identical, but invisible, spirit double. These second selves are distinct from ghosts, which appear only after death, and are sometimes described as the spiritual opposite or negative of their living counterparts. English speakers borrowed both the concept of the doppelgänger and the German word for it (from doppel-, meaning “double,” and -gänger, meaning “goer”) in the mid-1800s, but today the English word typically has a more quotidian use, referring simply to a living person who closely resembles another living person.
Examples of doppelgänger in a Sentence
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 16 May 2026
The beloved Sesame Street character, or rather, its doppelganger, has been spotted Down Under.
—Shyla Watson, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The polished nickel-finish frame on Pottery Barn’s Aveline vanity is virtually a doppelganger to the original vanities still installed in my 1930s Normandy-style house.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2026
At a Goop-like wellness empire built on female empowerment, Alice meets her doppelganger — a shinier, breezier British import who promptly steals her promotion.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Elliot Cadeau brought his favorite new bauble, the brown-wood 2026 NCAA basketball national championship trophy, over to where his mother, Michelle, and older brother and doppelganger Justin stood.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Born on the same day, Dahee and Channing are sister-spirits and occasionally doppelgangers, alive to each other’s moods.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 4 Apr. 2026
On the grass, a quirky vest-wearing doppelganger mugged in a hat and drawn-on chest hair for dramatic effect.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
Then look no further than this Amazon doppelganger tote bag.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doppelgänger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doppelg%C3%A4nger. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy Citation
