as in reversal
a changing from one policy or point of view to virtually its exact opposite
the novelist's unexpected volte-face from experimentalism to traditional narrative form
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Recent Examples of volte-face
Britain is not the only country pressed into making a volte-face.
—
London Business School, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Read More: How Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Pushed Through Asia’s First Cannabis Legalization
Cannabis advocacy groups and businesses have voiced their opposition to the policy volte-face, staging rallies and threatening a legal challenge against the premier.
—Pathom Sangwongwanich / Bloomberg, TIME, 27 June 2024
The policy volte-face is another blow to Thailand’s nascent cannabis industry after decriminalization was pitched as a way to boost agricultural income and wellness tourism.
—TIME, 10 May 2024
Jordan’s participation signaled a kind of volte-face for a state that has been unsparing in its criticism of Israel’s six-month military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The Brits demanded a volte-face, thought her European stylist Tati Cotliar, fashion director of riotous cool-girl mag Buffalo Zine.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024
But some are less positive about the apparent volte-face.
—WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
By interring the theory, Chief Justice Roberts executed a transparent volte-face.
—Simon Lazarus, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2023
London Business School, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Read More: How Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Pushed Through Asia’s First Cannabis Legalization
Cannabis advocacy groups and businesses have voiced their opposition to the policy volte-face, staging rallies and threatening a legal challenge against the premier.
—Pathom Sangwongwanich / Bloomberg, TIME, 27 June 2024
The policy volte-face is another blow to Thailand’s nascent cannabis industry after decriminalization was pitched as a way to boost agricultural income and wellness tourism.
—TIME, 10 May 2024
Jordan’s participation signaled a kind of volte-face for a state that has been unsparing in its criticism of Israel’s six-month military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The Brits demanded a volte-face, thought her European stylist Tati Cotliar, fashion director of riotous cool-girl mag Buffalo Zine.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024
But some are less positive about the apparent volte-face.
—WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
By interring the theory, Chief Justice Roberts executed a transparent volte-face.
—Simon Lazarus, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volte-face
Noun
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In a stunning reversal, that gargantuan mammal had caught me.—
Nina E. Cerfolio,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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In a major reversal, the federal government is restoring the records of hundreds, and possibly thousands, of international students whose entries in a crucial database the government had abruptly terminated in recent weeks, a move that had complicated their ability to stay in the country.—
Adrian Florido,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Aberdeen’s about-face could have been influenced by Wednesday’s commitment from Princeton’s Xaivian Lee.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Apr. 2025
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On April 17, 1825, Charles X, brother to Louis XVIII and the new French king, performed a sudden about-face.—
Marlene L. Daut,
The Conversation,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Volte-face.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volte-face. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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