Definition

Noun: A complete reversal of one's position, opinion, policy, or attitude; an about-face.

Usage

This word is used to describe a sudden and complete change in stance, often in the context of politics, strategy, or personal belief. It implies a dramatic and sometimes surprising turnaround from a previously held position.

Examples

• The senator's volte-face on the tax bill shocked his supporters.
• The company's sudden volte-face on remote work policies confused the entire staff.
• His political career was defined by a dramatic volte-face from hawkish interventionism to staunch pacifism.

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a formal or literary tone and can imply a change that is strategic, forced by circumstances, or perceived as inconsistent.
• It can be used in historical or analytical writing to describe pivotal shifts in policy or ideology.

Variants and Related Words

• About-face (noun): A more common, less formal synonym for a complete reversal.
• U-turn (noun): An informal term for a complete change of plan or opinion.
• Reversal (noun): A change to an opposite direction, position, or course of action.
• Flip-flop (noun, informal): Often used in politics to describe a reversal, typically with a negative connotation of inconsistency.

Synonyms

• About-face
• Reversal
• Turnaround
• U-turn
• Shift
• Change of heart

Antonyms

• Consistency
• Steadfastness
• Continuation
• Adherence

Idioms and Phrases

• To perform/execute a volte-face: To carry out a complete reversal.
  • Facing public pressure, the administration was forced to perform a volte-face.
• A complete volte-face: Emphasizes the totality of the change.
  • The new evidence led to a complete volte-face in the investigation's direction.

Noun

1. a major change in attitude or principle or point of view
   • an about-face on foreign policy