volte-face
1
9.6
- noun
- /voʊltˈfɑs/
- His abrupt volte-face regarding the new law revealed his shifting priorities on environmental issues.
Examples
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So, what are the reasons for this astounding volte-face?
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Presumably, the United States' tough position on Russia's WTO accession caused this volte-face from America to Europe.
Academic text (2010) -
I put it down to the fact that I had been his friend even before his volte-face the previous year.
Fiction book (1997) -
Spurious arguments have been put forward to justify this volte-face.
Academic text (1995) -
Historians are mildly mysterious about the extreme Soviet volte-face.
Academic text (1994) -
In a sudden volte-face, your DMK sought to strike a new note on Tuesday by slamming your AIADMK government for sacking the athletics official.
Blog text (12) -
Ecuador's volte-face to a position that was clearly pro-Western on this issue took it a step farther away from what had been, ever since 1972, a certain anti-imperialist, Third World-leaning policy.
Academic text (1992) -
As I mentioned, in fact, there is a remarkable volte-face in the novel's latter half when the protagonist accepts a different set of arguments in favor of destroying the mirror and abandons the emotional quest to avenge her murdered co-pilot.
Academic text (2018) -
After months of debate, the politician's unexpected volte-face surprised many of his supporters.
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The company's recent volte-face on their sustainability policy confused customers who valued transparency.
Synonyms
259
3.4
A sudden change in a situation or story
75
4.2
A change to the opposite direction or position, for example when wind turns
55
3.4
A time when a person decides they feel differently about something
31
6.7
A sudden change in opinion or policy that reverses an earlier decision
21
4.4
A complete change of direction or opinion
12
7.3
A sudden, complete change of direction or opinion
9
6.0
A complete change to the opposite view or decision
4
6.6
To suddenly change your opinion or plan to the opposite
1
6.6
A sudden public change of a decision or promise
How Complete
Surface Forms
Etymology
Volte-face comes from French parts volte ('turn') and face ('face'), so it literally means 'turn the face' like doing an about-face. That's why a volte-face is a sudden and complete change of opinion or policy.