conversion therapy
noun
plural conversion therapies
: the use of any of various methods (such as aversive stimulation or religious counseling) in an attempt to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual or to change a person's gender identity to correspond to the sex the person was identified as having at birth
Note: Conversion therapy is generally regarded as having no scientific basis and as being both ineffective and harmful.
Conversion therapy is both pointless and painful. At its best, it can inflict considerable psychological damage on a child without changing their sexual orientation or gender identity whatsoever. At its worst, it can lead to suicide …—
Samantha Allen
Samantha AllenMomentum has been building in legislative sessions this spring for the bans, which prohibit state-licensed mental health professionals from practicing conversion therapy for anyone under 18.—Susan Miller
Susan Millercalled also reparative therapy
Examples of conversion therapy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Coerced into a conversion therapy program, Jared clashes with its hostile leader (Joel Edgerton), igniting a transformative journey of self-acceptance.
—Alex Gurley, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Court is expected to make rulings on other key LGBTQ+ rights cases in its upcoming term, including whether to overturn Colorado's conversion therapy ban.
—Andrew Stanton
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Weiser noted that Colorado law does not prevent health care professionals from sharing information, content or viewpoints with patients, and that therapists can tell patients about conversion therapy and the religious ministers who can engage in those practices.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
Last month, just 100 miles southeast of Bob Jones University, the city of Columbia, South Carolina, repealed its ordinance banning conversion therapy.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conversion therapy
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Alex Gurley, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Court is expected to make rulings on other key LGBTQ+ rights cases in its upcoming term, including whether to overturn Colorado's conversion therapy ban.
—Andrew Stanton
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Weiser noted that Colorado law does not prevent health care professionals from sharing information, content or viewpoints with patients, and that therapists can tell patients about conversion therapy and the religious ministers who can engage in those practices.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
Last month, just 100 miles southeast of Bob Jones University, the city of Columbia, South Carolina, repealed its ordinance banning conversion therapy.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conversion therapy
Cite this Entry
“Conversion therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conversion%20therapy. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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