mindfuck

1 of 2

noun

mind·​fuck ˈmīnd-ˌfək 

variants or less commonly mind fuck or mind-fuck

plural mindfucks also mind fucks or mind-fucks

1

vulgar : a startling and confusing experience or situation that causes one to question one's perceptions, beliefs, abilities, etc.

Most jobs that I've had where I've been asked to play the leading lady made me change my hair color to blond, as a sort of a subtle communication that my brown hair would not be as appealing, I suppose. Then it sort of gets into my own brain like, am I less attractive as a brunette? Is it less appealing? Do I need to stay blond to work the way I want to work? So it's a whole kind of mindfuck.

—Sarah Paulson, quoted in Salon

I was playing it, couldn't come up with anything. Then I wrote a separate piano part. … I thought, "I wonder if I could combine these two things." When I did it, it made perfect sense. I hated it at first. It was so simple. It was a mindfuck to me. … That was the missing link for 10 years?

—Shawn James, quoted in PopMatters

Being locked up was an inevitable consequence. … Your "work" brought you in contact with the police and, since jail was part of the job description, you simply prepared ahead of time for the mind-fuck of being a prisoner.

—Sanyika Shakur

2

vulgar : something (such as an artistic or literary work) that distorts one's perceptions, shatters one's assumptions, or transforms one's usual way of thinking

Cary Joji Fukunaga's trippy mindfuck is arguably the most divisive show on Netflix right now. Some people adore this Emma Stone and Jonah Hill journey into the recesses of insanity.

—Brian Tallerico

—sometimes used before another noun

What makes something a quality mindfuck movie? Sometimes, it's a twist ending that seems to come out of nowhere and truly shocks you, because the reveal means you have to go back and rethink everything that happened during the course of the entire movie.

—Lauren Le Vine

mindfuck

2 of 2

verb

variants or mind-fuck

mindfucked or mind-fucked; mindfucking or mind-fucking; mindfucks or mind-fucks

transitive + intransitive

vulgar

: to manipulate someone into questioning their perceptions, beliefs, abilities, etc., especially by confusing and upsetting them

I make music for the young. … I want these girls to be tough, like mentally, especially with boys because when you're young in the game it's easy to be mindfucked.

—Asian Doll aka Misharron Jamesha Allen, quoted in Paper

In school, he had delighted in mind-fucking Carnes, pushing him to the brink of rage. … Pushing and easing up, over and over, until Carnes was punchy from surges of adrenaline.

—Lucius Shepard

mindfucked adjective

also mind-fucked

vulgar

The isolation, pecking order among the boys, and use of violence to settle disputes gives [Aleks] Merilo's script a Lord of the Flies quality, but at its heart, Exit 27 is a story of mind control, with Merilo shedding light on just how mindfucked these kids are and hoping we realize this fiction is not far from fact.

—Shanon Weaver

mindfucker noun

also mind-fucker

plural mindfuckers also mind-fuckers

vulgar

In common usage, the term "mindfucker" refers to someone who manipulates other people, who fucks them over emotionally or financially.

—Frances Lear

My wife was crazy. I was married to a crazy woman. … Nick, meet your wife: the world's foremost mindfucker.

—Gillian Flynn

mindfucking noun

also mind-fucking

vulgar

Mindfucking is, according to [philosopher Colin] McGinn, "an inherently aggressive act … an act of psychological violence, more or less." He writes, "The prime point here is that it involves the illegitimate exercise of power."

—Vic Sizemore

One book on how to use gaslighting techniques on one's enemies suggests a succinct synonym: "mind-fucking."

—Barbara Oakley

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably derivative of mindfuck entry 2

Verb

mind entry 1 + fuck entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1968, in the meaning defined above