propaganda
noun
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The History of Propaganda
Propaganda is today most often used in reference to political statements, but the word comes to our language through its use in a religious context. The Congregatio de propaganda fide (“Congregation for propagating the faith”) was an organization established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV as a means of furthering Catholic missionary activity. The word propaganda is from the ablative singular feminine of propogandus, which is the gerundive of the Latin propagare, meaning “to propagate.” The first use of the word propaganda (without the rest of the Latin title) in English was in reference to this Catholic organization. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that it began to be used as a term denoting ideas or information that are of questionable accuracy as a means of advancing a cause.
Examples of propaganda in a Sentence
Maria Shriver, Time, 26 Oct. 2009
They see all clear thinking, all sense of reality, and all fineness of living, threatened on every side by propaganda, by advertisement, by film and television.
—C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism, (1961) 2009
We've so bought into the mass delusion, the nutty propaganda, that now the ideal American family is one that's on steroids …
—Anna Quindlen, Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2009
… just propaganda for a mode of life no one could live without access to the very impulse-suppressing, nostalgia-provoking drugs they don't want you to have …
—Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995
He was accused of spreading propaganda.
The report was nothing but lies and propaganda.
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
According to reports, one such action included stopping anti-North Korea propaganda from being blasted in loudspeakers in the country and halting the distribution of political flyers and leaflets that criticized North Korea’s regime.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 28 July 2025
Governments could demand manipulation to censor unwelcome facts and promote propaganda.
—Steven Levy, Wired News, 25 July 2025
On this day in 1914: Austria-Hungary issued a series of ultimatums to Serbia that included allowing Austria-Hungary to investigate who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, and demanded that Serbia cease all anti-Austrian propaganda and dissolve its nationalist organizations.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for propaganda
Cite this Entry
“Propaganda.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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propaganda
noun
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