indoctrinate

verb

in·doc·tri·nate in-ˈdäk-trə-ˌnāt

indoctrinated; indoctrinating

Synonyms of indoctrinate next

transitive verb

: to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle

: to instruct especially in fundamentals or rudiments : teach

indoctrination

(ˌ)in-ˌdäk-trə-ˈnā-shən

noun

indoctrinator

in-ˈdäk-trə-ˌnā-tər

noun

Did you know?

Indoctrinate means "brainwash" to many people, but its meaning isn't always so negative. When the verb first appeared in English in the 17th century, it simply meant "to teach"—a meaning linked closely to its source, the Latin verb docēre, which also means "to teach." (Other offspring of docēre include docile, doctor, document, and, of course, doctrine). By the 19th century, indoctrinate was being used in the sense of teaching someone to fully accept only the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group.

Examples of indoctrinate in a Sentence

The goal should be to teach politics, rather than to indoctrinate students in a narrow set of political beliefs. indoctrinated children in proper safety procedures

Recent Examples on the Web College Board has denied that the course indoctrinates students. —

Josh Snyder, arkansasonline.com, 6 Dec. 2023 People can go online and get just indoctrinated with with some of this messaging from across across the globe really. —

John Shumway, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2023 The College Board, the maker of the course, has denied that the course indoctrinates students. —

Cynthia Howell, Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2023 Kendi began to publish books for children and young adults—which fit with the right’s claim that woke progressives were trying to indoctrinate young people. —

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2023 Putting an end to her attempts to indoctrinate your toddler is as easy as hiring a babysitter. —

Abigail Van Buren, al, 2 Sep. 2023 These portrayals were a mechanism to indoctrinate religious and political dominance. —

Sarah Quiñones Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2023 The efforts are based around the word Sasse used: indoctrination, the premise that professors are indoctrinating students with liberal orthodoxy. —

Michael Sokolove, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023 The cause is her deep involvement with her church, indoctrinating our toddler with her religious beliefs and, finally, (ironically) her deep physical attraction to her priest. —

Abigail Van Buren, al, 2 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'indoctrinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.