Whiplash

Definitions

1. The lash of a whip.
   countable
2. An injury to the upper spine connected to a violent jerk of the head in either a backward or forward or side to side direction, resembling the motion of a whip.
   countable, uncountable
3. An abrupt and unexpected change, or the resulting feeling of shock.
   countable, figuratively, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Some parents, feeling too hurt⟳ by the push-off or taking their teenager’s rejections too personally, choose⟳ to make⟳ themselves unavailable. In some ways it does feel⟳ better to avoid⟳ episodes of emotional whiplash.”

“A week of public health reversals from the White House and the Centers for Disease Control⟳ and Prevention has left Americans with pandemic whiplash, sowing confusion about coronavirus vaccines and mask-wearing as the Delta variant upends what people thought they knew about how to stay⟳ safe.”

“And he talked about the “whiplash” he often feels when it comes to A.I. these days, as some people urge⟳ companies like⟳ Google to move⟳ faster on A.I., release⟳ more products and take⟳ bigger risks, while others urge⟳ them to slow down and be more cautious.”

CEFR level