brainwashing

1 of 3

noun (1)

brain·​wash·​ing ˈbrān-ˌwȯ-shiŋ 

-ˌwä-

1

: a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas

2

: persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship

brainwash

ˈbrān-ˌwȯsh 

-ˌwäsh

transitive verb

brainwash noun

brainwasher noun

brainwash

2 of 3

transitive verb

brain·​wash ˈbrān-ˌwȯsh 

-ˌwäsh

1

: to subject (a person) to brainwashing

denied a previous confession … saying that he had been brainwashed

—Front Page Detective

told how he had been brainwashed for 527 days in jail

—Ed Sullivan

2

: to persuade by propaganda

brainwash the voters

brainwasher noun

plural brainwashers

To convert someone, you don't clean the brain out. You put something in it. The brainwasher impresses his victims with his own superior fanaticism and honesty.

—Dr. Frederick J. Hacker, quoted in People, 10 June 1974

brainwash

3 of 3

noun (2)

brain·​wash ˈbrān-ˌwȯsh 

-ˌwäsh

1

: the act of brainwashing

the moral savagery of the brainwash

—D. H. Gillis

2

: an instance of brainwashing

his brainwash in prison

Examples of brainwashing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Advertisement Hank then explains why the mainframe of the entire brainwashing system was routed through the head of Representative Welch (Martha Kelly). — Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Feb. 2026

Shakespeare put all his understanding of human nature into Iago’s brainwashing master class. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026

Despite the cesspits of conspiracy-think that pollute contemporary politics, the specific paranoia of Letts’s characters — bugs under the skin, brainwashing, nefarious doctors in government labs — feels less blazingly relevant than comparatively quaint. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026

Hale connects that story to another tale that took place in the same wilderness twenty years earlier—a story of a cult, brainwashing, teenage prophets, and murder. — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

translation of Chinese (Beijing) xǐnǎo

Transitive verb

back-formation from brainwashing

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brainwashing

• handwashing
• whitewashing
• quashing
• sloshing
• squashing
• washing

Medical Definition

brainwashing

noun

brain·​wash·​ing ˈbrān-ˌwȯsh-iŋ, -ˌwäsh- 

: a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas

brainwash transitive verb

brainwash noun

brainwasher noun