as in convinced
to cause (someone) to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally
Terrorists brainwashed the prisoners. Does advertising brainwash children?
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Recent Examples of brainwashed
The siblings had been brainwashed, abused and groomed while growing up in a cult led by Bernie Hoffman, an apocalyptic preacher and false prophet known to the world as Tony Alamo.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
These young girls have been brainwashed by a political movement that exists to disenfranchise them.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Bistline further claimed that Bateman brainwashed her and initially convinced her to lie to authorities during her first interview with authorities in 2023.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
What, are you being brainwashed by communists?
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026
Artificial men become soldiers and servants (a dead detective rebuilt as RoboCop; Bucky Barnes brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier; Anakin Skywalker resurrected as Darth Vader).
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Landfair claimed that she was brainwashed by Kelly.
—Katherine Lam, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Her home, District 12, has been destroyed and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has been brainwashed by President Snow.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025
California high school senior Hadeel Hazameh believes she was brainwashed.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
These young girls have been brainwashed by a political movement that exists to disenfranchise them.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Bistline further claimed that Bateman brainwashed her and initially convinced her to lie to authorities during her first interview with authorities in 2023.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
What, are you being brainwashed by communists?
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026
Artificial men become soldiers and servants (a dead detective rebuilt as RoboCop; Bucky Barnes brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier; Anakin Skywalker resurrected as Darth Vader).
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Landfair claimed that she was brainwashed by Kelly.
—Katherine Lam, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Her home, District 12, has been destroyed and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has been brainwashed by President Snow.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025
California high school senior Hadeel Hazameh believes she was brainwashed.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwashed
Verb
-
In a crew filled with people convinced of the superiority of their own methods, Cooper just wants to look at peacocks, call his grandma, and engage in some PG-13 flirting with fellow innocent oddball Kat.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
But many predicted that Candy Crush would not survive for 14 years, and Ingvar is convinced her teams will once again prove the doubters wrong.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Green Dot founder Steve Barr stipulated that his group’s schools would be union represented — but that commitment satisfied only a small number of opponents.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
The juxtaposition of glossy and matte papers satisfied the papyrophile in Nilsson while adding a chewy subtext for viewers.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
While human stress is largely influenced by the hormone cortisol, the equivalent in rats is called corticosterone.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The introduction of the Hadid-110 adds another layer to a UAV arsenal that has already influenced global military planning, one that blends speed, shaping, and expendability into a package that Iran appears determined to deploy more widely.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Others, like Tiara Parker, suppressed their grief and trauma until the weight of it all finally brought them tumbling to their knees.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
-
According to Oliveira, onlookers were amazed by the size of the shark as it was brought closer to shore.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Up to 13,000 grapevine plants potentially infected by the bacteria have been sold across a total of 24 Northern and Central California counties, the CDFA said.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Struggling financially, the museum sold its third and fourth floors in 2019 to real estate firm Fern Hill.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The real turning point came in November 2025, when James Comey persuaded a magistrate judge to release information from the grand-jury proceedings that led to the former FBI director’s indictment.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
-
They were persuaded by the details.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Verb
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What interested me about Ripley, on the other hand, was the idea of a person who isn’t quite whole, a fake and a forger, a chameleon who insinuates himself into situations, with appalling consequences.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Nov. 2025
-
The only role that never interested the actress was wife.—
Julie Jordan,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Getting new facilities for this workforce up to speed would require investing in not only the workforce and research, but also new production techniques, substitute and recycled materials, and automation in a field that has attracted few new entrants.—
Jared Cohen,
Time,
15 June 2026
-
By early 2002, Marklar had attracted more attention within Apple, and then-CEO Steve Jobs briefly flirted with the idea of allowing Mac OS X to run on Sony’s Vaio laptops.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashed. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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