ENGLISH
REFERENCE

brainwashed

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbɹeɪnˌwɑʃt// UK //bɹˈeɪnwɒʃt// brain·washed

adj. describing someone who has been forced or tricked into believing something that is not true. You use this when a person's ideas have been completely changed by someone else's influence.

adj. characterised by having undergone a systematic process of indoctrination to alter beliefs or attitudes. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'seem' or 'become'.


SIMPLE

He seems brainwashed by that strange political group.

CONTEXTUAL

Family members feared the young man had been brainwashed by the cult's charismatic leader.

COMPLEX

Critics argued that the constant stream of state propaganda had left the population effectively brainwashed, making them unable to question the government's increasingly erratic policies.

Synonyms
Usage

Often used as a participial adjective to describe a mental state rather than the active process.

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