psychological warfare
noun
: things that are done to make someone (such as an enemy or opponent) become less confident or to feel hopeless, afraid, etc.
The army used radio broadcasts into enemy territory as a form of psychological warfare.
Examples of psychological warfare in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert Bunker, a counterterrorism researcher and former U.S. Army War College professor, said the videos purporting to show Haitian gang members reminded him of similar videos that drug cartels distributed in Mexico as a form of psychological warfare and intimidation.
—
David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The host Jesse Watters suggested the superstar was a Defense Department asset engaging in psychological warfare.
—Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024
Further revelations that the US had supplied Nicaraguan death squads with psychological warfare guides would not help that public relations problem.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 1 Feb. 2024
Linebarger, who died in 1966, served in the Office of War Information during the Second World War and helped establish the US Army’s psychological warfare section.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 1 Feb. 2024
As the election has neared, China has also sent balloons, similar to the one that floated over the United States last February, toward the island, leading Taiwan’s Defense Ministry to warn of psychological warfare.
—Meaghan Tobin, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2024
Yet her release – and that of other Israeli children – as part of a ceasefire deal now playing out between Israel and the terror group that governs the Palestinian enclave can be seen as a clear symbol of the psychological warfare that continues to be waged by the terrorists against Israelis.
—Ruth Marks Eglash, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2023
These videos are key to the psychological warfare that underpins this flare-up.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 16 Oct. 2023
By posting footage of the assault on its Telegram page, Hamas magnified the psychological warfare against Israelis and glorified the killing rampage for its online audience of supporters.
—Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The host Jesse Watters suggested the superstar was a Defense Department asset engaging in psychological warfare.
—Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024
Further revelations that the US had supplied Nicaraguan death squads with psychological warfare guides would not help that public relations problem.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 1 Feb. 2024
Linebarger, who died in 1966, served in the Office of War Information during the Second World War and helped establish the US Army’s psychological warfare section.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 1 Feb. 2024
As the election has neared, China has also sent balloons, similar to the one that floated over the United States last February, toward the island, leading Taiwan’s Defense Ministry to warn of psychological warfare.
—Meaghan Tobin, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2024
Yet her release – and that of other Israeli children – as part of a ceasefire deal now playing out between Israel and the terror group that governs the Palestinian enclave can be seen as a clear symbol of the psychological warfare that continues to be waged by the terrorists against Israelis.
—Ruth Marks Eglash, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2023
These videos are key to the psychological warfare that underpins this flare-up.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 16 Oct. 2023
By posting footage of the assault on its Telegram page, Hamas magnified the psychological warfare against Israelis and glorified the killing rampage for its online audience of supporters.
—Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'psychological warfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near psychological warfare
Cite this Entry
“Psychological warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychological%20warfare. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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