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
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
In very One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest fashion, good ol’ American capitalists were brainwashed into embracing Red communism.
—Jack King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
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
But Emma’s frustrated by how brainwashed Sam is.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
California high school senior Hadeel Hazameh believes she was brainwashed.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
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
In very One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest fashion, good ol’ American capitalists were brainwashed into embracing Red communism.
—Jack King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
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
But Emma’s frustrated by how brainwashed Sam is.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 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
-
Musk and Altman, along with Brockman, who joined from Stripe, were convinced that there were only a few computer scientists alive capable of making the required breakthroughs.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But Kiraly is not convinced the president’s budget proposal would lend enough support — even for the projects that Isaacman has personally bolstered.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The president satisfied his own ego, displaying no patience, as other bloodthirsty warlords throughout history.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Miami also declined to offer Jovic, though there’s no indication that his inclusion would have satisfied Phoenix.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Talk about the importance of having your team drive classic Jaguars and how that influenced the engineering of the GT.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Visions such as Verne’s influenced most of the engineers and scientists that made human spaceflight possible, such as Robert Goddard and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who believed that humanity’s destiny is in the stars.—
Anastasia Klimchynskaya,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The idea was brought forth by Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The team brought Schlag to an ambulance waiting in a nearby field.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For many years prior to Tedla opening the restaurant, her mother made and sold injera, the Ethiopian spongy bread, and ran a catering business in Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Sportico does not count investment income, such as interest payments or dividends, but does include payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The adviser persuaded Hanes to invest a few thousand dollars in an online cryptocurrency-trading platform, which generated impressive returns.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Apr. 2026
-
People can be persuaded that community action should trump individual choice if a behavior, such as smoking cigarettes or driving while drunk, harms others who don’t engage in it.—
Marie Helweg-Larsen,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s what interested us as well.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
These stories are not only fun to read, but also provide valuable information about ideas that interested early Christians.—
Christy Cobb,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Many of the low-rise apartment blocks are only partially filled, often not by miners but by people attracted to cheap housing.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Unable to get down, Thompson remained in the tower until a Navy schooner attracted by the blaze came to shore and rescued him.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashed. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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