ostrich-policy

The government's ostrich-policy ignores the growing economic crisis.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A policy of deliberate self-deception or avoidance of reality: "ostrich-policy" refers to a strategy or approach in which a person, organization, or government ignores obvious problems or dangers, hoping they will disappear, similar to the myth that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid threats.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The company's ostrich-policy regarding climate change led to massive financial losses. (The company ignored the issue of climate change instead of addressing it.)
  • Adopting an ostrich-policy will not solve the country's economic crisis. (Avoiding the problem will not make it go away.)

Advanced Usage

• "to pursue an ostrich-policy": to actively engage in ignoring reality.

  • The government pursued an ostrich-policy on rising unemployment, refusing to implement any reforms. (The government deliberately avoided dealing with the issue.)

• "an ostrich-policy of denial": a specific form of avoidance based on refusing to accept facts.

  • His ostrich-policy of denial about his health problems delayed necessary treatment. (He refused to acknowledge his illness.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ostrich-like (adj): resembling the behavior of an ostrich; characterized by avoidance.

  • Her ostrich-like attitude toward the problem only made things worse. (She acted as if the problem did not exist.)

• Ostrichism (n): the practice of ignoring reality or danger.

  • Ostrichism in politics often leads to disastrous outcomes. (Ignoring problems in politics can be harmful.)

Synonyms

• Head-in-the-sand approach: a method of avoiding reality by pretending problems do not exist.

  • Their head-in-the-sand approach to cybersecurity left them vulnerable. (They ignored the risk.)

• Denialism: the refusal to accept established facts or reality.

  • The denialism of the company's executives cost them their reputation. (They refused to acknowledge the truth.)

Related Idioms

• To bury one's head in the sand: to ignore a problem or danger deliberately.

  • Instead of addressing the budget deficit, the manager buried his head in the sand. (He avoided the issue.)

• To stick one's head in the sand: same as above, often used in business contexts.

  • Sticking your head in the sand about customer complaints will lead to failure. (Ignoring complaints is unwise.)