Definition of brainwashing
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
transitive verbbrainwash
nounbrainwasher
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
Recent Examples of brainwashing from the Web
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In the beginning, Savilla and her daughters did not want to share what had happened inside Kaplan’s home, which prosecutors previously told PEOPLE was due to his brainwashing.
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Therefore, their claims of liberal brainwashing are often anecdotal and largely exclusive of underrepresented students’ perspectives.
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The search resulted not in a miraculous new weapon but a program of simulated brainwashing designed as a prophylactic against enemy mistreatment.
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Those espousing such views present Islam as an inherently hostile ideology whose adherents are enemies of Christianity and Judaism and seek to conquer nonbelievers either by violence or through a sort of stealthy brainwashing.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brainwashing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of brainwashing
translation of Chinese (Beijing) xǐnǎo
Medical Dictionary
brainwashing
playMedical Definition of brainwashing
: 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 verbbrainwash
nounbrainwasher
nounLearn More about brainwashing
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Nglish: Translation of brainwashing for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of brainwashing for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about brainwashing
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