brainwashed

verb

past tense of brainwash
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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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 Some of them are derelict minors who have been captured by the settler organizations, taken to outposts in the Palestinian territories, brainwashed, and taught to kill. — David Shulman, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2026 How many people were brainwashed into showing up for a riot and then imprisoned for their actions over an idea that was never really theirs? — Will Cady, SPIN, 30 July 2026 People who vote for MAGA Republicans are mentally challenged and brainwashed. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026 Society has brainwashed us for decades into bottling our emotions, saying less, not rocking the boat, and just carrying so much on our shoulders. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwashed
  1. convinced
  2. satisfied
  3. influenced
  4. brought
  5. sold
  6. persuaded
  7. interested
  8. attracted
Verb
  • The scammers allegedly convinced the victim to give them access to his Google Drive and provide security codes that allowed Lam and others to siphon off more than 4,100 Bitcoin, then worth over $240 million.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Russia denied involvement, saying Germany had planted evidence, but NATO is convinced this is the latest incident in the Kremlin’s long-running hybrid warfare campaign of sabotage and cyberattacks.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of convinced
Verb
  • Instead of recognizing that a 1-paragraph block is not a 10-paragraph block, the generation engine assumed that formatting the technical specifications neatly satisfied the underlying intent.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The court sent unresolved questions about whether the warrant in that case satisfied constitutional requirements back to a lower court.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of satisfied
Verb
  • That means, in turn, that measuring the clustering of matter can reveal details about the aspects of the universe that influenced that clustering.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The rescue facility said surgery and treatment could not repair the damage, which influenced their decision to euthanize the animal.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of influenced
Verb
  • That outlay has brought Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro to Stamford Bridge, while their latest arrival from the south-coast side, centre-forward Danny Welbeck, was secured for a much more modest £5m this summer.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Pritzker believes the city and state have learned to respond to the tactics that Bovino and his men brought, and those that continue.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of brought
Verb
  • California and Massachusetts have banned — via ballot measures — any pork sold in their states coming from farms that use these crates.
    — Kenny Torrella, Vox, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Taylor can’t say he was sold the first time that concept was pitched.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of sold
Verb
  • Instead, Newcastle have persuaded a player with world-class potential to stay long term.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Like Shylock, Kaftan is persuaded by a Gentile into making an unwise and ultimately dangerous investment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of persuaded
Verb
  • This question interested me as a computational biophysicist who studies how living systems process information and adapt to changing environments.
    — Shiladitya Banerjee, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Your three films to date reveal you as a filmmaker interested in structure.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of interested
Verb
  • Hanlen acknowledged the political attention Cunningham has attracted and suggested the public often receives a distorted impression of her.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Koumas, who helped Hull City win promotion from the Championship while on loan last season, attracted a lot of interest this summer, but Iraola was not prepared to sanction another temporary move.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of attracted

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Cite this Entry

“Brainwashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashed. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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