Definition

1. Noun:
   • Forcible indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs: The systematic and often coercive process of making someone reject old beliefs and accept new ones by using extreme psychological pressure.

Usage

• The term "brainwashing" describes a method of controlling or changing a person's thoughts against their will, typically through isolation, propaganda, repetition, and stress.
• It is often used in contexts involving cults, totalitarian regimes, or extreme coercive persuasion.
• It functions as a non-count noun (e.g., ) but can also be used in a more general sense (e.g., ).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The hostages were subjected to relentless brainwashing by their captors.
  • Experts debated whether the cult member's radical change in views was a result of genuine conversion or systematic brainwashing.
  • The film explores the themes of propaganda and brainwashing in a dystopian society.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a brainwashing technique": refers to a specific method used in the indoctrination process.
  • Sleep deprivation is a common brainwashing technique.
• Conceptual Use: The term is sometimes used metaphorically in informal contexts to describe intense advertising or persuasive campaigns, though this dilutes its severe original meaning.
  • Some critics argue that constant exposure to certain media is a form of cultural brainwashing.

Variants and Related Words

• Brainwash (verb): To subject someone to brainwashing.
  • The regime sought to brainwash the entire population.
• Brainwasher (noun): A person who practices brainwashing.

Synonyms

• Indoctrination: The process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. (Note: "Brainwashing" implies a more forceful, manipulative, and coercive process than general indoctrination.)
• Coercive persuasion: A more technical term for similar processes of extreme influence.
• Mind control: A broad term encompassing brainwashing and other methods of dominating another's thoughts.

Related Phrases

• "To undergo brainwashing": to be subjected to the brainwashing process.
  • Reports suggested the prisoner had undergone brainwashing.
• "A brainwashing campaign": an organized program of forcible indoctrination.
  • The dictator launched a massive brainwashing campaign to consolidate power.

Noun

1. forcible indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs