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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwashed
  1. convinced
  2. satisfied
  3. influenced
  4. brought
  5. sold
  6. persuaded
  7. interested
  8. attracted
Verb
  • Newcastle had depleted full-back resources and Jaissle was convinced the 24-year-old’s athleticism was ideal.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But before her death, Christine Moore wasn’t convinced a thorough enough job had been done.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of convinced
Verb
  • 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
  • The court did not decide whether the particular geofence warrant ultimately satisfied the Fourth Amendment's probable cause and particularity requirements.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of satisfied
Verb
  • Young reporters like Steinem were allowed to write stories only about women's topics, such as recipes and clothes; writing about issues that actually influenced women's lives was discouraged.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Ruth Steinem had mental health problems, something Steinem has said deeply influenced her.
    — Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of influenced
Verb
  • The 2026 midterms have brought a number of generational challenges like the one Moulton is waging against Markey, with younger Democrats taking on — and in some cases unseating — longtime incumbents.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Wemlinger says the cyclical nature of design trends has brought these colors back, but the nostalgia factor is changing how they’re used.
    — Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of brought
Verb
  • Panthers coach Dave Canales said he was sold on Okereke, who has played in all 17 NFL games in four of his past five seasons and has had 130-plus tackles four different times in his career.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Isaacson’s 2023 book left a lot of reviewers cold with its lack of criticism but still sold a gazillion copies.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sold
Verb
  • The inability of conservatives to break the opposition once and for all persuaded the establishment to try to cut deals with Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party instead.
    — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Stuart Evey, who oversaw who oversaw Getty Oil’s investments outside its core oil business, persuaded the company's board to invest $10 million for an 85% stake.
    — Nicole Kraft, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of persuaded
Verb
  • But what really interested us with this movie was trying to understand the humanity and searching for and exploring the love and the loyalty to characters to have a dialogue with an audience and not do it for the sake of ego or shock.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Camerlenghi says Gradara Castle has interested him since his childhood.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026
Definition of interested
Verb
  • In contrast, Anthropic's Claude experienced stronger growth in key markets, particularly in the US, where its coding and deep research capabilities have attracted an increasing number of users.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cosine, pitched as Britain’s first fully sovereign frontier AI model, has attracted corporate partners including BAE Systems, PwC, and Lloyds Banking Group, the FT reports.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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