brainwash

or brain-wash, brain wash

[breyn-wosh, -wawsh]

See more synonyms for brainwash on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cause (someone) to undergo brainwashing.

noun

the process of brainwashing.
a subjection to brainwashing.

Origin of brainwash

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from brainwashing

Related formsbrain·wash·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for brainwash

indoctrinate, educate, convert, influence, persuade, instill, catechize, proselytize, teach, convince, alter, condition

Examples from the Web for brainwash

Contemporary Examples of brainwash

Icons is the attempt of Mr. Brainwash, who represents himself, to storm New York.
The Art of 'Mr. Brainwash'
Anthony Haden-Guest
February 18, 2010
Over time, he became a street artist himself: the splendidly named Mr. Brainwash.
The Art of 'Mr. Brainwash'
Anthony Haden-Guest
February 18, 2010
A friend had heard that Mr. Brainwash had staked everything he had on this show.
The Art of 'Mr. Brainwash'
Anthony Haden-Guest
February 18, 2010

Historical Examples of brainwash

This makes any attempts to brainwash the enlisted men impracticable and a great deal of pressure is thereby removed.
I Was a Teen-Age Secret Weapon
Richard Sabia

British Dictionary definitions for brainwash

brainwash

verb

(tr) to effect a radical change in the ideas and beliefs of (a person), esp by methods based on isolation, sleeplessness, hunger, extreme discomfort, pain, and the alternation of kindness and cruelty

Derived Formsbrainwasher, nounbrainwashing, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for brainwash

1955 (past participle adjective brainwashed attested from 1953); see brainwashing.