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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of psychological warfare

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

In an “open letter to Trello leadership,” one person begins by asking, “Are you secretly conducting psychological warfare, or did a sleep-deprived intern hit ‘publish’ on your latest update by accident?”

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

As Campbell recalls in his memoir, producer Jimmy Iovine and his engineer Shelly Yakus pushed everyone so hard in the studio that it began to feel like psychological warfare.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2025

Flying balloons with propaganda leaflets and other items is one of the most common types of psychological warfare the two Koreas launched against each other during the Cold War.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024

Despite our success as a team, however, I was still wading through the minefield of micro-aggressions and psychological warfare from my teammates and the coaching staff.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad