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brainwashing

nounC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,416 of 15,258neutral

Brainwashing is the forcing of new beliefs on somebody by relentless pressure. Accused of brainwashing, brainwashing techniques, a victim of brainwashing.

The word entered English in 1950 from a Chinese phrase meaning wash the brain, describing what was said to be done to prisoners in Korea. Psychologists are sceptical of the strong version: pressure changes what people say far more reliably than what they believe.

Definitions of brainwashing

  1. 1nounbrainwashingThe forcing of new beliefs on somebody by relentless pressure.C1

    “The cult used brainwashing to convince its members to cut off their families.”

brainwashing is a coercion.

Where it comes from

A translation of a Chinese phrase meaning to wash the brain, first used in English about 1950.

  1. Chinese

    洗腦

  2. English, today

    brainwashing

Chinese 洗腦 literally “wash brain”. First use appears c. 1950.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

brainwashing in the wild

  • In casual speech, "brainwashing" and its verb form, "brainwash", are used figuratively to describe the use of propaganda and advertising to sway public opinion.

    Brainwashing

  • Singer's main areas of research included schizophrenia, family therapy, brainwashing and coercive persuasion.

    Margaret Singer

  • Since the 1970s, the secular anti-cult movement has opposed certain groups, which they call cults, accusing them of practicing brainwashing.

    Cult

  • Blackfire is stated as being over 134 years old, and is often portrayed as a power-crazed charismatic con artist and cult leader skilled in manipulation and brainwashing.

    Deacon Blackfire

  • Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian Textbook on Psychopolitics is a Red Scare, black propaganda book, first published by the Church of Scientology in 1955 about brainwashing.

    Brain-Washing (book)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.