brain·wash·ing
ˈbrān-ˌwȯ-shiŋ
-ˌwä-
1
: a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas
2
: persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship
brain·wash
ˈbrān-ˌwȯsh
-ˌwäsh
1
: to subject (a person) to brainwashing
denied a previous confession … saying that he had been brainwashed—Front Page Detective
told how he had been brainwashed for 527 days in jail—Ed Sullivan
2
: to persuade by propaganda
brainwash the voters
brainwasher
noun
plural brainwashers
To convert someone, you don't clean the brain out. You put something in it. The brainwasher impresses his victims with his own superior fanaticism and honesty.
—Dr. Frederick J. Hacker, quoted in People, 10 June 1974
brain·wash
ˈbrān-ˌwȯsh
-ˌwäsh
1
: the act of brainwashing
the moral savagery of the brainwash—D. H. Gillis
2
: an instance of brainwashing
his brainwash in prison
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brainwashing. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
