Dictionary.com

brainwashing

or brain-wash·ing, brain wash·ing

[ breyn-wosh-ing, -waw-shing ]
/ ˈbreɪnˌwɒʃ ɪŋ, -ˌwɔ ʃɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR brainwashing

noun

a method for systematically changing attitudes or altering beliefs, originated in totalitarian countries, especially through the use of torture, drugs, or psychological-stress techniques.
any method of controlled systematic indoctrination, especially one based on repetition or confusion: brainwashing by TV commercials.
an instance of subjecting or being subjected to such techniques: efforts to halt the brainwashing of captive audiences.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of brainwashing

First recorded in 1945–50; brain + washing

Words nearby brainwashing

Braintree, brain trust, brain truster, brain up, brainwash, brainwashing, brain wave, brainwork, brainworm, brainy, braird
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to brainwashing

persuasion, influencing, conditioning

Example sentences from the Web for brainwashing

Medical definitions for brainwashing

brainwashing
[ brān′wŏsh′ĭng ]

n.

Inducing a person to modify his or her beliefs, attitudes, or behavior by conditioning through various forms of pressure or torture.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for brainwashing

brainwashing

Indoctrination that forces people to abandon their beliefs in favor of another set of beliefs. Usually associated with military and political interrogation and religious conversion, brainwashing attempts, through prolonged stress, to break down an individual's physical and mental defenses. Brainwashing techniques range from vocal persuasion and threats to punishment, physical deprivation, mind-altering drugs, and severe physical torture.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.