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?
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brainwashed
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
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
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
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
-
Of course, not all officers were readily convinced.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
If the prover reveals two different colors in response to every challenge, the verifier will eventually be convinced that the prover knows a valid coloring.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Personals like this one may feel like a relic—Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji, New York’s mayor and his wife, met on Hinge, after all—but love and lust have been satisfied by column inches since the 1800s.—
Zara Meerza,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
-
State court records show Blueprint satisfied the judgment by last April.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Emotional exhaustion can be influenced by structural factors, and decision quality is often associated with these conditions in how information is distributed and processed within a system.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Aya Adachi, an associate fellow at the Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics and Technology of the German Council on Foreign Relations, noted that global automotive competition is being gradually influenced by China’s rapid growth in electric vehicle production.—
Justina Lee,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Lei Ying Lee, Xia Brookside rivalry heats up Lei Ying Lee brought the TNA Knockouts Championship back home last week with a win over Arianna Grace.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
During my lifetime there have been 55 years in which my country has engaged in prolonged and endless conflicts or wars, few of which have brought a decisive victory.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
This one-time mansion has changed hands over the years, and most recently was sold and renovated in July 2022 into a luxury self-checkout boutique with private suites, beautiful gardens, and a welcoming porch.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
-
Unsold items are rarely thrown away immediately; they are often sent to outlet stores to be sold by the pound, listed online, or eventually sold in bulk to salvage buyers for resale, recycling, or repurposing.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
But authorities weren't persuaded.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
-
Neither leader elaborated on what persuaded them about the possibility of peace in Europe’s longest conflict since World War II.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
That was a motif that kept coming up and that interested me, this war analogy.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
As to why the format interested him, Hawley pointed to a similarity with Fargo.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The latter, a platform designed to connect African filmmakers with buyers, agents and investors to sell, distribute and co-produce content, has attracted the support of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy (FMACCE), positioning Nigeria as a global player.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Historically, these types of films attracted older moviegoers, who loved stiff-upper-lip dramas of the Merchant-Ivory variety.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashed. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
