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Definition of whataboutery in English:

whataboutery

noun

British

  • The technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counteraccusation or raising a different issue.

    Also called whataboutism

    • ‘all too often, well-intentioned debate descends into whataboutery’

Pronunciation

whataboutery

/ˌ(h)wədəˈboudərē/ /ˌ(h)wədəˈbaʊdəri/

Origin

1970s from the way in which counteraccusations may take the form of questions introduced by ‘What about —?’.