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• propaganda
  propaganda

  noun

  information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
• Propaganda
  Propaganda

  noun

  RC Church a congregation responsible for directing the work of the foreign missions and the training of priests for these

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propaganda

American  

[prop-uh-gan-duh] / ˌprɒp əˈgæn də /

noun

• propaganda
  plural

1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.

3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.

4. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. a committee of cardinals, established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, having supervision over foreign missions and the training of priests for these missions.

   2. a school College of Propaganda established by Pope Urban VIII for the education of priests for foreign missions.

5. Archaic. an organization or movement for the spreading of propaganda.

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Propaganda ¹ British  

/ ˌprɒpəˈɡændə /

noun

1. RC Church a congregation responsible for directing the work of the foreign missions and the training of priests for these

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propaganda ² British  

/ ˌprɒpəˈɡændə /

noun

1. the organized dissemination of information, allegations, etc, to assist or damage the cause of a government, movement, etc

2. such information, allegations, etc

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propaganda Cultural  

1. Official government communications to the public that are designed to influence opinion. The information may be true or false, but it is always carefully selected for its political effect.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• propagandism
  noun
• propagandist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• propaganda
  plural

Etymology

Origin of propaganda

First recorded in 1710–20; from New Latin, short for congregātiō dē propāgandā fidē “congregation for propagating the faith”; propāgandā, ablative singular feminine gerundive of propāgāre; see propagate

Explanation

Propaganda is the spreading of information in support of a cause. It’s not so important whether the information is true or false or if the cause is just or not — it’s all propaganda. The word propaganda is often used in a negative sense, especially for politicians who make false claims to get elected or spread rumors to get their way. In fact, any campaign that is used to persuade can be called propaganda.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

propaganda Propaganda

Nearly all appropriations bills that Congress passes include a rider that says none of the money being awarded can be used for publicity or propaganda purposes.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

“I’m hesitant to call ‘Melania’ propaganda because I can’t imagine anyone watching this movie and thinking that Melania Trump comes off well,” Times film critic Amy Nicholson wrote in a February review.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Artificial intelligence isn’t very intelligent if its knowledge base is lies and propaganda.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The lengthy report lists cases in which suspected state-sponsored groups, criminals, spyware vendors, state propaganda institutions and politically motivated individuals misused its technology.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

I stuck close to Miles, because there I didn’t feel the need to check every instrument for contraband items and Communist propaganda.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Or so argued Belisário Penna, the head of Propaganda and Sanitary Education in Brazil, in the early 20th century.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

"MTI has been liberated and works freely... Topics and organisations previously banned have returned to our coverage. Propaganda has been pushed out," said an editor.

From Barron's ● May 30, 2026

The EP comes along with a digital e-zine edition of U2's fanzine Propaganda.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

She is the vice director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department at the Korean Workers’ Party, as well as a member of the State Affairs Commission, North Korea’s top decision-making authority.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025

Propaganda uses misleading, biased, or exaggerated information to promote a political cause.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• disinformation
• hype
• indoctrination
• publicity