whataboutism

noun

what·​about·​ism ˌ(h)wä-tə-ˈbau̇-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce whataboutism (audio)
ˌ(h)wə-
plural whataboutisms
: the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse
The exchange is indicative of a rhetorical strategy known as whataboutism, which occurs when officials implicated in wrongdoing whip out a counter-example of a similar abuse from the accusing country, with the goal of undermining the legitimacy of the criticism itself.Olga Khazan
By whataboutism I mean the way any discussion can be short-circuited by saying "but what about x???" where x is usually something that's not really equivalent but is close enough to turn the conversation into mush.Touré
also : the response itself
They accomplish it by muddying the waters and distracting from international criticisms with whataboutisms such as telling the world that there's nothing exceptional about America. Alex Zeldin

called also (chiefly British) whataboutery

Examples of whataboutism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Abiy and his supporters insinuated that Washington was full of TPLF partisans, using a mixture of whataboutism and imagined neocolonial conspiracies in responding to U.S. calls for open humanitarian access routes and American alarm about ethnic profiling. Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 25 Jan. 2023 No one can come at your narcissist of a coach or completely bought team without being called racist, being subjected to whataboutism , and on and on and on. David Ubben, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024 These whataboutisms can go on and on without changing anyone’s mind. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024 The tactics of lying, whataboutism, distraction, and insults may succeed on NewsMax or in the pages of the Federalist. Time, 14 Aug. 2023 Or, in another of Fox’s favorite whataboutisms, hosts and commentators often attempt to equate the Trump probe with the revelation that classified documents were found in Biden’s Washington, DC, office and Wilmington, Delaware, home. Allison Morrow, CNN, 14 June 2023 The network’s personalities went into full whataboutism mode as soon as the indictments were announced. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2023 And all while deploying a familiar tactic of whataboutism, responding to questions about Russia by pointing out flaws within the systems of the U.S. and its allies. NBC News, 17 June 2021 After each new incitement, G.O.P. leaders have gone through the familiar cycle: consternation, equivocation, whataboutism, and, finally, full capitulation. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2022

Word History

Etymology

what about [X]? + -ism

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whataboutism was in 1978

Dictionary Entries Near whataboutism

Cite this Entry

“Whataboutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whataboutism. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

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