Word.ws English Dictionary

stab-in-the-back myth

stab-in-the-back myth proper noun: 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).

Proper noun

stab-in-the-back myth

  1. (historical) 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).

Noun

stab-in-the-back myth (plural stab-in-the-back myths)

  1. (broadly) Any denialist myth misattributing failure to internal betrayal.
    • 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.2004, Joshua A. Fogel, Late Qing China and Meiji Japan: Political & Cultural Aspects, Signature Books, page 10
    • 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.2023 May 19, Jonathan Freedland, “They’re openly saying it: Brexit has failed. But what comes next may be very dark indeed”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

Forms of stab-in-the-back myth

pluralstab-in-the-back myths

Origin of stab-in-the-back myth

Calque of German Dolchstoßlegende.

Questions about stab-in-the-back myth

What does stab-in-the-back myth mean?
Stab-in-the-back myth means 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).
What part of speech is stab-in-the-back myth?
Stab-in-the-back myth can be a proper noun or a noun.

Words near stab-in-the-back myth in the dictionary

  1. stab stitch
  2. stab stitches
  3. stab wound
  4. stab wounds
  5. stab yourself and pass the dagger
  6. stab-in-the-back myth
  7. stab-in-the-back myths
  8. stab-proof
  9. stab-rag
  10. stab-rags
  11. staballoy

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: stab-in-the-back myth (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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