brainwash.
A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.
Meaning & usage
A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.
Where this word comes from
From brain + wash, a calque of Chinese 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo), literally to wash the brain. Usage via U.S. military during the Korean War.
To affect one's mind by using extreme mental pressure or any other mind-affecting process. (e.g. hypnosis)
To take from an electronically controlled machine its stored-up information; to erase a computer's programming. (1960)
To persuade completely and forcibly.
The news media brainwashed many people.
Where this word comes from
From brain + wash, a calque of Chinese 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo), literally to wash the brain. Usage via U.S. military during the Korean War.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.