propaganda

noun

pro·​pa·​gan·​da ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də 

ˌprō-

1

: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause

The report was nothing but lies and propaganda.

But even though Mattel was involved, the film couldn't just be Barbie propaganda.

—Willa Paskin

also : a public action having such an effect

2

: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumors for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

The power to control what art is seen as good or bad is fundamental for propaganda.

—Ryan Gaur

3

Propaganda : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions

Did you know?

The History of Propaganda

Propaganda is today most often used in reference to political statements, but the word comes to our language through its use in a religious context. The Congregatio de propaganda fide (“Congregation for propagating the faith”) was an organization established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV as a means of furthering Catholic missionary activity. The word propaganda is from the ablative singular feminine of propogandus, which is the gerundive of the Latin propagare, meaning “to propagate.” The first use of the word propaganda (without the rest of the Latin title) in English was in reference to this Catholic organization. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that it began to be used as a term denoting ideas or information that are of questionable accuracy as a means of advancing a cause.

Examples of propaganda in a Sentence

She didn't buy into the propaganda of her day that women had to be soft and submissive. —Maria Shriver, Time, 26 Oct. 2009

They see all clear thinking, all sense of reality, and all fineness of living, threatened on every side by propaganda, by advertisement, by film and television. —C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism, (1961) 2009

We've so bought into the mass delusion, the nutty propaganda, that now the ideal American family is one that's on steroids … —Anna Quindlen, Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2009

… just propaganda for a mode of life no one could live without access to the very impulse-suppressing, nostalgia-provoking drugs they don't want you to have … —Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995

He was accused of spreading propaganda.

The report was nothing but lies and propaganda.

Recent Examples on the Web

Manuals have been updated to direct members of ICE Watch patrols to avoid direct confrontation with law enforcement authorities, but the back-room message has been to instigate confrontations that can then be filmed and turned into propaganda for the effort. —Asra Q. Nomani , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026

The expensive propaganda doc is glossily shot and lushly scored, although for some reason Ratner keeps inserting segments shot on what looks like Super 8 film, as if to infuse the Trumps with some of that Kennedy-era aura. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026

This prosecution is best understood not as law enforcement but as propaganda, junk intended purely to get attention. —Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026

Contrary to the official propaganda, ICE is now mainly arresting hard-working immigrants who, in many cases, were legally in the country while processing their residency status. —Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Congregatio de propaganda fide Congregation for propagating the faith, organization established by Pope Gregory XV †1623

First Known Use

1679, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing propaganda

• counter-propaganda
• propaganda machine

Rhymes for propaganda

• jacaranda
• memoranda
• aranda
• miranda
• veranda
• verandah
• banda
• ganda
• panda
• vanda

Kids Definition

propaganda

noun

pro·​pa·​gan·​da ˌpräp-ə-ˈgan-də 

ˌprō-pə-

: an organized spreading of certain ideas

also : the ideas spread in this way

propagandist

-dəst 

noun or adjective

propagandistic

-ˌgan-ˈdis-tik 

adjective