backfire effect

noun

The finding that, faced with evidence that contradicts their beliefs, people can reject the evidence and believe even more strongly.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounbackfire effect (plural backfire effects)

plural backfire effects

  1. The finding that, faced with evidence that contradicts their beliefs, people can reject the evidence and believe even more strongly.

Origin

Coined by Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

backfire effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backfire%20effect

MLA

“backfire effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backfire%20effect. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backfire effect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backfire%20effect.

Source: backfire effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.