hypnotism

noun hyp·no·tism \ ˈhip-nə-ˌti-zəm \

Updated on: 17 Mar 2018

Definition of hypnotism

1 : the study or act of inducing hypnosis — compare mesmerism

2 : hypnosis 1

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hypnotist

play \ˈhip-nə-(ˌ)tist\ noun

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Examples of hypnotism in a Sentence

a psychologist who employs hypnotism to treat his patients
some people have undergone hypnotism in order to induce them to give up their smoking habit

Recent Examples of hypnotism from the Web

The lecture mixed neurological theory and armchair anthropology, and ranged over subjects including premonitions, telepathy, hypnotism, hallucinations, and epileptic and migrainous aura.

— katherine foxhall, Smithsonian, "No, Getting a Hole Drilled in Your Head Was Never a Migraine Cure," 6 Mar. 2018
His nightstand in the weeks following his assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 could have theoretically included the novel Mission in Tangier, the self-help book Psycho-Cibernetics, or a manual on hypnotism.

— bécquer seguín, Slate Magazine, "Exotic Minutiae," 21 July 2017
The files revealed the experiments tested drugs (like LSD), sensory deprivation, hypnotism and electroshock on everyone from agency operatives to prostitutes, recovering drug addicts and prisoners—often without their consent.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America," 22 May 2017
Séances were a fad; so were hypnotism, chiromancy and telepathy.

— steven lee myers, New York Times, "The New York Times," 29 Dec. 2016
The files revealed the experiments tested drugs (like LSD), sensory deprivation, hypnotism and electroshock on everyone from agency operatives to prostitutes, recovering drug addicts and prisoners—often without their consent.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America," 22 May 2017
When Missy offers to cure Chris of his nicotine habit via hypnotism, he's weirded out but passes it off as an oddity.

— kendra james, Marie Claire, "'Get Out' Perfectly Captures the Terrifying Truth About White Women," 3 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypnotism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.