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
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
The lyrics went beyond Evers’ white-supremacist killer, indicting an entire system that brainwashed poor white Southerners into hatred.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 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
As a teen, she was sent to Evelyn’s facility and brainwashed, too.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 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
Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Landfair claimed that she was brainwashed by Kelly.
—Katherine Lam, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
The lyrics went beyond Evers’ white-supremacist killer, indicting an entire system that brainwashed poor white Southerners into hatred.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 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
As a teen, she was sent to Evelyn’s facility and brainwashed, too.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 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
-
Archos, who grew up in the family restaurant business, had already opened several successful Wildberry Pancake and Cafe locations in Chicago and the suburbs, and was convinced his hospitality experience would serve him well in the nascent cannabis industry.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Tony, played by George Psarras, is convinced that his wife Margot (Gwynnevere Cristobal) is cheating on him.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To her, Dorr’s presentation satisfied questions of access, freeing the library board to consider capacity.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The legislation laid out in detail a governance structure that satisfied lenders financing the transaction by giving the borrower, the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, control over decision making for three years after the deal closed.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
During oral argument, all three Court of Appeals judges expressed concern about the fairness of her sentence and highlighted how the district court judge’s political statements made about Peters may have unfairly and unconstitutionally influenced her sentencing.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Even those traveling light, like Avishag Amir, admit to being influenced.—
Arden Fanning Andrews,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In Season 1, confronted with overdoses, drownings, and a host of other crises great and small, the team nevertheless found time to deliver the soapiness that the best medical series have always brought.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
At last, the alien—brought wonderfully to life, with an amusingly robotic voice and skittery movements, by the puppeteer James Ortiz—can tell his story.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In May 2025, a 1,871-square-foot single-family residence in the 3800 block of Corina Way sold for $3,300,000, a price per square foot of $1,764.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
It was originally sold to someone overseas who ultimately couldn’t complete the purchase, so there were some details that hadn’t been finished.—
Carisa Crawford Chappell,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The first lady persuaded her husband Franklin Delano Roosevelt to authorize the Lincoln Memorial as the site of Marian Anderson’s concert.—
Paul Keane,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
-
While working there, Anderson persuaded Burkle to provide him with $100,000 in seed capital to launch his lobbying firm Platinum Advisors, according to the complaint filed by Burkle’s company.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The character that interested me was (his alter ego) Norman Osborn.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Irish unit, which Generali inherited through its purchase of Liberty Seguros, specializes in online operations and attracted interest from several buyers.—
Sonia Sirletti,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Decaire added that even without the nonstop flight between Dallas and Seattle, Southwest has still attracted an average of 92 customers, more than half the capacity of one of the carrier’s aircraft, per day to fly there using a connection.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashed. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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