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brainwashing
or brain-wash·ing, brain wash·ing
[ breyn-wosh-ing, -waw-shing ]
/ ˈbreɪnˌwɒʃ ɪŋ, -ˌwɔ ʃɪŋ /
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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.
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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. 2023
How to use brainwashing in a sentence
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.