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• propaganda
  propaganda

  noun

  information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
• Propaganda
  Propaganda

  noun

  RC Church a congregation responsible for directing the work of the foreign missions and the training of priests for these

propaganda

American  

[prop-uh-gan-duh] / ˌprɒp əˈgæn də /

noun

• propaganda
  plural

1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.

3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.

4. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. a committee of cardinals, established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, having supervision over foreign missions and the training of priests for these missions.

   2. a school College of Propaganda established by Pope Urban VIII for the education of priests for foreign missions.

5. Archaic. an organization or movement for the spreading of propaganda.

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Propaganda ¹ British  

/ ˌprɒpəˈɡændə /

noun

1. RC Church a congregation responsible for directing the work of the foreign missions and the training of priests for these

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propaganda ² British  

/ ˌprɒpəˈɡændə /

noun

1. the organized dissemination of information, allegations, etc, to assist or damage the cause of a government, movement, etc

2. such information, allegations, etc

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propaganda Cultural  

1. Official government communications to the public that are designed to influence opinion. The information may be true or false, but it is always carefully selected for its political effect.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• propagandism
  noun
• propagandist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• propaganda
  plural

Etymology

Origin of propaganda

First recorded in 1710–20; from New Latin, short for congregātiō dē propāgandā fidē “congregation for propagating the faith”; propāgandā, ablative singular feminine gerundive of propāgāre; see propagate

Explanation

Propaganda is the spreading of information in support of a cause. It’s not so important whether the information is true or false or if the cause is just or not — it’s all propaganda. The word propaganda is often used in a negative sense, especially for politicians who make false claims to get elected or spread rumors to get their way. In fact, any campaign that is used to persuade can be called propaganda.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

propaganda Propaganda

Kim has since entrusted great power to his sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is believed to head the influential propaganda department, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

“Actually, while that bit is about my concerns about homophobia, I really love pineapple on pizza now and so it’s really just propaganda for pineapple on pizza,” he says, only half in jest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Along with his Unification Church, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon built a political propaganda empire, which had tentacles all over Washington, D.C., at one time.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

Army’s propaganda command—Wilder starts by tackling the director’s cut of a documentary called “The Death Mills.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

The Nazis also bombarded the general public with propaganda to persuade them that the money spent on the care of the physically and mentally “unfit” could be put to better use.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

"MTI has been liberated and works freely... Topics and organisations previously banned have returned to our coverage. Propaganda has been pushed out," said an editor.

From Barron's ● May 30, 2026

The EP comes along with a digital e-zine edition of U2's fanzine Propaganda.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

Propaganda is central to the Kim family’s Stalinist grip on power.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

When Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels appears, addressing the crowd in that Berlin square, I pointed out something else: While the book burnings were organized by “grassroots” student groups, the Nazi government was fully looped in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024

Propaganda uses misleading, biased, or exaggerated information to promote a political cause.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• disinformation
• hype
• indoctrination
• publicity