psychological warfare

American  

noun

1. the use of propaganda, threats, and other psychological techniques to mislead, intimidate, demoralize, or otherwise influence the thinking or behavior of an opponent.

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psychological warfare British  

noun

1. the military application of psychology, esp to propaganda and attempts to influence the morale of enemy and friendly groups in time of war

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Etymology

Origin of psychological warfare

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

psychological warfare

During times of unrest, Tharallah coordinates intelligence, policing and the Basij, as well as psychological warfare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

One border region, Ganghwa county, said in a statement: "We hope this decision will lead to an end to North Korea's noise-based psychological warfare, allowing our residents to return to their normal daily lives."

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025

This is a mind-blowing bit of psychological warfare!

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2024

The Army’s psychological warfare soldiers are using their brand of mental combat to bring in what the service needs: recruits.

From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024

In what might be termed an experiment in psychological warfare, the attractant is combined with a granular material and distributed by planes.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson