Overton window
Say it: OH-vuh-tun window /ˈəʊvət(ə)n ˌwɪndəʊ/ · noun
What “Overton window” means
The range of ideas people currently accept as worth discussing.
More precisely: The range of ideas the public considers acceptable to discuss at a given time.
When to use it
In political discussion, when explaining which proposals the public currently treats as acceptable and how that range can shift.
Similar words
mainstream, range of acceptable opinion
Where it comes from
Named after Joseph Overton, an American policy analyst who described it in the 1990s.
Quick check
A policy once dismissed as unthinkable now gets serious public debate. It has entered what range of acceptable ideas?
the Overton window or the political consensus?
Show the answer
the Overton window
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