propaganda

noun

pro·​pa·​gan·​da ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də How to pronounce propaganda (audio)
ˌprō-
1
capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions
2
: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
3
: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause
also : a public action having such an effect

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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 Like elsewhere on the platform since its takeover by Elon Musk, Chinese-language X is increasingly filled with misinformation, propaganda and pornography. Nectar Gan, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 TikTok’s algorithm is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party to push government propaganda to U.S. users. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The techniques add to an infrastructure of repression built by Mr. Putin to keep protesters and opponents in check and serve the country a diet of state propaganda. Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Facebook’s connections with the data firm Cambridge Analytica, which facilitated the spread of political propaganda in the presidential election and Brexit vote in 2016, have been thoroughly documented. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 American lawmakers have expressed fears over TikTok’s Chinese ties and the risk that the Chinese Communist Party would be able to demand data on the app’s U.S. users or push propaganda. Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Undoing the effects of censorship, propaganda, and disinformation—and the crushing politics of fear—takes time. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 Where the movie’s earlier instance of such a call (by a Russian soldier) is seen being scrutinized and analyzed by investigators in order to combat Russian military propaganda, this recording released by the Israeli military has never been independently verified by a similar team. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Policymakers worry that that information could then be used to identify intelligence targets or enable disinformation or propaganda campaigns. Brian Fung, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024

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

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

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of propaganda was in 1668

Dictionary Entries Near propaganda

Cite this Entry

“Propaganda.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

propaganda

noun
pro·​pa·​gan·​da ˌpräp-ə-ˈgan-də How to pronounce propaganda (audio)
ˌprō-pə-
: an organized spreading of certain ideas
also : the ideas spread in this way
propagandist noun or adjective
propagandistic adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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