deprogram
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to free (a convert) from the influence of a religious cult, political indoctrination, etc., by intensive persuasion or reeducation.
-
to retrain, as for the purpose of eliminating or replacing a learned or acquired behavior pattern or habit that is undesirable or unsuitable.
Other Word Forms
- deprogramer noun
- deprogrammer noun
Etymology
Origin of deprogram
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even when O’Malley points out the fallacious arithmetic at work here — “You want us to believe that 20% of the male population has this massive harem?” — he says it’s difficult to deprogram men who’ve been fully red-pilled, because these fantasies speak to deep male insecurities.
From Salon
Toss it on, let the bops bop, and maybe help deprogram your local Disney adult.
From Salon
It has been a 20-year process to deprogram that worldview.
From Salon
Steven Hassan is one of the world's leading experts on cults and other dangerous organizations, as well as how to deprogram people who have succumbed to "mind control."
From Salon
“And so my entire career has been about how to deprogram myself, so that I can capture us the way we should be.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
