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hive mind

American  
Or hivemind

noun

  1. the property of apparent sentience in a colony of social insects acting as a single organism, each insect performing a specific role for the good of the group.

  2. Psychology,

    1. a collective consciousness, analogous to the behavior of social insects, in which a group of people become aware of their commonality and think and act as a community, sharing their knowledge, thoughts, and resources.

      the global hive mind that has emerged with sites like Twitter and Facebook.

    2. such a group mentality characterized by uncritical conformity and loss of a sense of individuality and personal accountability.


Etymology

Origin of hive mind

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

See Examples For:

The Apple TV show is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which most of humanity has been infected with an alien virus creating a peaceful hive mind, with only 13 outliers immune.

From Barron's Jul. 8, 2026

Like any other hive mind, the Others have a biological imperative to assimilate the immune, whether the immune wants to be integrated or not.

From Salon Dec. 29, 2025

When all experience is shared by a hive mind, what are the rules, including about intimacy?

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 24, 2025

By 2055, she thinks many people will be "cognitively connected" - a hive mind of humans and technology via servers, which will help in the sharing of ideas.

From BBC Dec. 31, 2024

Enough to create a hive mind and prank the both of us at once, I thought.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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