brainwashing 1 of 2

noun

Definition of brainwashingnext
as in lobbying

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brainwashing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of brainwash
as in convincing
to cause (someone) to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally Terrorists brainwashed the prisoners. Does advertising brainwash children?

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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 brainwashing
Noun
Hale connects that story to another tale that took place in the same wilderness twenty years earlier—a story of a cult, brainwashing, teenage prophets, and murder. — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026 Conspiracies and brainwashing In Argentina, there was the troubling disappearance of five-year-old Loan Peña in Corrientes province. — Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Maurice is convinced that Tall Pines is brainwashing teens and then sending them to who-knows-where to work as spies. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brainwashing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwashing
  1. lobbying
  2. convincing
  3. influencing
  4. inducing
  5. seduction
  6. bringing
  7. selling
  8. satisfying
Noun
  • The race to finish Swalwell's term attracted attention from outside groups, including some affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying organization American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
    — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile Cinema United, the exhibition industry’s main lobbying group, remains opposed to any sale of Warner Bros.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of lobbying
Verb
  • Carroll hasn’t had much luck convincing Montpelier to offer state tax credits.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Today, some are convincing enough to fool experts, helped along by a market where documentation is scarce and comprehensive catalogs and archives are rare.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of convincing
Noun
  • When students graduate, they'll be prepared for roles in content strategy, digital influencing, brand development, social media management and audience engagement across industries.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Nicolas Matthew Scelfo of Brooklyn, New York, faces up to 10 years in prison after being charged with influencing, impeding, and retaliating against a federal officer by threat.
    — Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2026
Definition of influencing
Verb
  • Marshall had been charged with defrauding his mother’s estate of millions by inducing her to change her will in his favor after her mental capacity had faded.
    — Robert D. Mcfadden, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The frame of this printer is rigid and stout to minimize error-inducing vibration during printing; HeyGears says layer positioning errors are no more than 2 microns.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of inducing
Noun
  • Several symbolic scenes, similarly unfolding in sinuous long takes—a ritualistic repetition of local habits at the junk yard, a formal dance of non-seduction at a luncheonette with a jukebox—lay bare the town’s ingrained and unyielding mores.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Some Venus signs prefer seduction through mystery and minimalism, while others enjoy eccentricity or perhaps even maximalism.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of seduction
Verb
  • And peony, while bringing a lightness to an otherwise darker slate of fragrance trends, still feels like a more sophisticated floral than an obvious rose.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The effect of bringing a host of films together in this way is never predictable; even familiar elements don’t look the same.
    — Geoffrey O’Brien, The New York Review of Books, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of bringing
Verb
  • The complaint claims the companies' products have been improperly collecting, sharing and selling personal data, like cellphone and vehicle location data.
    — Dennis Valera, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Off Campus followed, based on Elle Kennedy’s best-selling novel The Deal, before Disney announced The Shards, following a group of teens against the backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles.
    — Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of selling
Verb
  • But rather than the satisfying sound of arrow meeting deer, Kontras heard a loud, bothersome clank.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • And there is something satisfying in tracking clues and decoding references.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of satisfying

Browse Nearby Words

brainwashes
brainwashing
brain wave
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Cite this Entry

“Brainwashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashing. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on brainwashing

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about brainwashing

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