as in convincing
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 brainwashing
Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
The tests were believed to be part of a super-secret experimentation program, Project MKUltra, which ran from 1953 to 1973 (when the program’s records were destroyed) to identify drugs that could weaken individuals and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
In the aftermath, Rogers frees his teammates from prison while Barnes undergoes cryogenic stasis in Wakanda until his brainwashing can be cured.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
Yet, going by the best ethnographic and social-science research, his fear of brainwashing was overblown.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brainwashing
Verb
If brainwashing doesn’t work, defendants can hardly claim it as a defense.
—Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
The tests were believed to be part of a super-secret experimentation program, Project MKUltra, which ran from 1953 to 1973 (when the program’s records were destroyed) to identify drugs that could weaken individuals and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
In the aftermath, Rogers frees his teammates from prison while Barnes undergoes cryogenic stasis in Wakanda until his brainwashing can be cured.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
Yet, going by the best ethnographic and social-science research, his fear of brainwashing was overblown.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brainwashing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwashing
Verb
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But convincing risk-averse regulators to approve data-sharing, even anonymized, will be a major hurdle.—
Roomy Khan,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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And Cohere, too, is hoping to win over more than friends — by convincing enterprises, investors, and skeptics alike that ROI, not AGI, is the smarter bet.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Two initial votes against Johnson’s Speakership flipped under intense lobbying from the White House.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
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Companies calculate their shrink rate based on a physical count of their inventory on hand, which most take once or twice a year, according to the National Retail Federation, a top lobbying group for the industry.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The format grants viewers unprecedented control over programming elements, from influencing contestant challenges involving current events and social issues to deciding elimination outcomes and performance selections.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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The draft guidance could shape clinical trial designs, labeling considerations and FDA review expectations for future prescription non-opioid analgesics seeking approval for chronic pain indications, potentially influencing investment and development priorities in the pharmaceutical industry.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Claude can’t disentangle her years-ago affair with Mathias from feelings of self-recrimination and guilt, and seesaws between anger and seduction.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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This is the seduction drawing the ultra rich.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Heart-pounding, finger-tingling, grin-inducing fun.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
9 Sep. 2025
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Shildt went with Cronenworth at shortstop Sunday based on the handedness of the opposing starter and Padres starter Dylan Cease’s propensity for inducing fly balls rather than an abundance of grounders.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Growth in the number of new indoor resorts had the biggest percentage increase, with six opening in the last year, bringing the country’s total to 66 -- more than double the 31 indoor resorts that China had in 2020.—
Russell Flannery,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Former Brevard County School Board Member Jennifer Jenkins is launching a longshot Democratic bid for Marco Rubio’s former Senate seat — and hoping the polarizing prospect of bringing independents into the party’s primary will strengthen her chances.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Robert Bilkie, CEO of Sigma Investment Counselors in Northville, Michigan, said investors who reacted to April’s weakness by selling stocks would be significantly less wealthy today.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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But for Allen-Green and other community members supporting the project, a major preoccupation this year remains selling the three schools to more families in the neighborhood.—
Mila Koumpilova,
ProPublica,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The garden is satisfying to Ramona.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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Other tasters agreed these anchovies had a meaty texture, which made each fillet a satisfying several bites.—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashing. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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