hypnosis

noun

hip-ˈnō-səs How to pronounce hypnosis (audio)
Definition of hypnosisnext
as in hypnotism
the art or act of inducing in a person a sleeplike state during which he or she readily follows suggestions with hypnosis there's some question as to just how involuntary the actions of the hypnotized person really are

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hypnosis Composite sketches of a suspect were released after some witnesses, under hypnosis, claimed to have seen a man at the site of the Tim King abductions but those leads did not materialize. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026 The 12-minute-long Rotation is about a therapeutic hypnosis ritual experienced by a young Ukrainian woman who shifted from civilian life to military service due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026 Paglen traces magickal attempts to mold reality back to midcentury covert operations such as the CIA’s infamous MKUltra program—the one exploring mind control through electroshock therapy, hypnosis, and LSD. — Louis Bury, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026 In December 2024, the National Security Archive and ProQuest declassified about 1,200 documents pertaining to the program, detailing the CIA's experiments with drugs, hypnosis and other mind control techniques during the era. — Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for hypnosis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypnosis
hypnotism
Noun
  • This hypnotism is especially conveyed through the film’s costumes.
    — Eugenie Dalland, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
  • Other topics of his lectures over the years that followed included animal magnetism, hypnotism, and the ether.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 12 Apr. 2024
Definition of hypnotism

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hypnosis
hypnotic
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Cite this Entry

“Hypnosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypnosis. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hypnosis

Nglish: Translation of hypnosis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hypnosis

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