stab-in-the-back myth
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.60 in modern English
38
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
5
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
The Dolchstoßlegende: a widespread historical conspiracy theory in right-wing circles in Germany after 1918, claiming that Germany did not lose World War I militarily and capitulated needlessly after having been betrayed by civilian leaders (especially Communists).
Example Sentences
- "Aside from the Cantonese stab-in-the-back myth mentioned earlier, the most up-to-date and authoritative Chinese sources of information on Western affairs then available reinforced arguments in favor of jōi."
- "That is the process we are witnessing now: the steady nurturing of a stab-in-the-back myth for Brexit. History suggests that this hunt for the wielder of the treacherous dagger will only get nastier."
- "After World War I, when Germany humiliated itself in a war that it started, right-wing populists embraced the Dolchstoßlegende, or stab-in-the-back myth, blaming Jews for their country’s defeat. Now, as the American right contemplates the entirely foreseeable catastrophe that an unbridled Trump has visited on America, some are creating a new stab-in-the-back myth about Zionism to make sense of it."