What does brainwashed mean?
Brainwashed describes someone whose beliefs have been reshaped through sustained, systematic indoctrination, typically under conditions of isolation, pressure, or control, leaving them unable or unwilling to think critically about those beliefs. The word derives from "brainwash," an English coinage modeled on the Chinese expression xǐnǎo, literally "to wash the brain," which emerged in the mid-twentieth century during discussions of coercion in wartime and totalitarian regimes. In modern usage, brainwashed functions both as the past participle of the verb and as an adjective, as in "a brainwashed follower" or "they were brainwashed over years." It carries a strong negative connotation, implying manipulation and the loss of independent judgment, and is frequently used figuratively or hyperbolically to characterize anyone perceived as holding opinions instilled by propaganda, advertising, a political movement, or a controlling group. Related forms include the noun brainwashing, denoting the process itself, making the word family central to discussions of persuasion, cults, and propaganda.
Describing a person who has been subjected to brainwashing; holding beliefs instilled by systematic indoctrination rather than arrived at independently.
"The defector described his former comrades as loyal but utterly brainwashed."
Almost always derogatory; implies the subject's views are not genuinely their own.
Past tense and past participle of brainwash: subjected someone to systematic indoctrination until they accepted ideas uncritically.
"Over months of isolation, the group brainwashed new recruits into total obedience."
"Brainwash" is a rare English word borrowed wholesale from another language — it's a literal translation of the Chinese term xǐnǎo, meaning "to wash the brain."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of brainwashed
Brainwashed comes from the verb brainwash, an English compound coined in the mid-twentieth century as a direct translation of the Chinese term xǐnǎo, literally "to wash the brain." The English term gained currency during the Korean War era, when it was used to describe the coercive re-education of prisoners of war, and it quickly broadened to cover any form of totalistic indoctrination. Its two elements are native English words — brain, from Old English brægen, and wash, from Old English wascan — joined in a calque of a foreign phrase rather than inherited directly.
Related word forms
How brainwashed is actually used
The term carries strongly negative connotations and is often used hyperbolically in everyday speech to dismiss opinions one disagrees with ('You've been brainwashed'). In psychology and journalism it retains its more precise sense of coercive persuasion under conditions of isolation and control.
Easily confused with brainwashed
Whitewash means to conceal faults or unpleasant facts in order to make something seem better, whereas brainwash means to force someone to adopt beliefs against their will.