Meanings
nounbrainwash (plural brainwashes)
plural brainwashes · alternative brain-wash · alternative brain wash
- A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.
verbbrainwash (third-person singular simple present brainwashes, present participle brainwashing, simple past and past participle brainwashed)
present singular third person brainwashes · participle present brainwashing · participle past brainwashed · past brainwashed · alternative brain-wash · alternative brain wash
- transitivehuman sciencesTo affect one's mind by using extreme mental pressure or any other mind-affecting process. (e.g. hypnosis)
Toph can't tell who's lying becaue they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!
2006 November 3, Tim Hedrick, “Lake Laogai” (12:08 from the start), in Lauren MacMullan, director, Avatar: The Last Airbender, season 2 (Book Two: Earth), episode 17, spoken by Sokka (Jack DeSena) - datedfigurativelytransitiveTo take from an electronically controlled machine its stored-up information; to erase a computer's programming. (1960)
- transitiveTo persuade completely and forcibly.
The news media brainwashed many people.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
Translations
Arabic غَسِيل دِمَاغ, غَسِيل مُخّ
- غَسِيل دِمَاغ (ḡasīl dimāḡ)form of indoctrination
- غَسِيل مُخّ (ḡasīl muḵḵ)form of indoctrination
- ّغَسَلَ المُخ (ḡasala l-muḵḵ)to affect one's mind
Bulgarian проми́ване на мо́зъци
- проми́ване на мо́зъци (promívane na mózăci)form of indoctrination
Catalan rentat de cervell, rentar el cervell
- rentat de cervellform of indoctrination
- rentar el cervellto affect one's mind
Chinese Cantonese 洗腦 /洗脑, 洗腦 /洗脑
- 洗腦 /洗脑 (sai² nou⁵)form of indoctrination
- 洗腦 /洗脑 (sai² nou⁵)to affect one's mind
Chinese Mandarin 洗腦 /洗脑, 洗腦 /洗脑
- 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo)form of indoctrination
- 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo)to affect one's mind
Czech vymývání mozků, vymýt mozek
- vymývání mozkůform of indoctrination
- vymýt mozekto affect one's mind
Danish hjernevask, hjernevaske
- hjernevaskform of indoctrination
- hjernevasketo affect one's mind
Dutch hersenspoeling, hersenspoelen
- hersenspoelingform of indoctrination
- hersenspoelento affect one's mind
Esperanto cerbolavado
- cerbolavadoform of indoctrination
Estonian ajupesu
- ajupesuform of indoctrination
Finnish aivopesu, aivopestä
- aivopesuform of indoctrination
- aivopestäto affect one's mind
French lavage de cerveau, décerveler
- lavage de cerveauform of indoctrination
- décervelerto affect one's mind
- laver le cerveauto affect one's mind
- bourrer le crâneto affect one's mind
German Gehirnwäsche, Hirnwäsche
- Gehirnwäscheform of indoctrination
- Hirnwäscheform of indoctrination
- Mentizidform of indoctrination
- einer Gehirnwäsche unterziehento affect one's mind
- gehirnwaschento affect one's mind
Greek πλύση εγκεφάλου
- πλύση εγκεφάλου (plýsi egkefálou)form of indoctrination
Hebrew שטיפת מוח \ שְׁטִיפַת מוֹחַ, שָׁטַף מֹחַ
- שטיפת מוח \ שְׁטִיפַת מוֹחַ (shtifát móakh)form of indoctrination
- שָׁטַף מֹחַ (shatáf móakh)to affect one's mind
Hungarian agymosás, agymosást végez
- agymosásform of indoctrination
- agymosást végezto affect one's mind
Icelandic heilaþvottur, heilaþvo
- heilaþvotturform of indoctrination
- heilaþvoto affect one's mind
Indonesian cuci otak, mencuci otak
- cuci otakform of indoctrination
- mencuci otakto affect one's mind
Italian lavaggio del cervello, fare il lavaggio del cervello
- lavaggio del cervelloform of indoctrination
- fare il lavaggio del cervelloto affect one's mind
Japanese 洗脳, 洗脳する
- 洗脳 (sennō)form of indoctrination
- 洗脳する (sennō suru)to affect one's mind
Korean 세뇌, 세뇌하다
- 세뇌 (senoe)form of indoctrination
- 세뇌하다 (senoehada)to affect one's mind
Latvian smadzeņu skalošana
- smadzeņu skalošanaform of indoctrination
Lithuanian smegenų plovimas, išplauti smegenis
- smegenų plovimasform of indoctrination
- išplauti smegenisto affect one's mind
- užzombintito affect one's mind
Norwegian Bokmål hjernevask, hjernevasking
- hjernevaskform of indoctrination
- hjernevaskingform of indoctrination
Persian شستشوی مغزی
- شستشوی مغزی (šostošu-ye maġzi)form of indoctrination
Polish pranie mózgu, prać mózg komu
- pranie mózguform of indoctrination
- prać mózg komuto affect one's mind
- wyprać mózg komuto affect one's mind
Portuguese lavagem cerebral, fazer lavagem cerebral em
- lavagem cerebralform of indoctrination
- fazer lavagem cerebral emto affect one's mind
Romanian spălare a creierului, spăla creier
- spălare a creieruluiform of indoctrination
- spăla creierto affect one's mind
Russian промыва́ние мозго́в, промыва́ть мозги́
- промыва́ние мозго́в (promyvánije mozgóv)form of indoctrination
- промыва́ть мозги́ (promyvátʹ mozgí)to affect one's mind
- промы́ть мозги́ (promýtʹ mozgí)to affect one's mind
- зомби́ровать (zombírovatʹ)to affect one's mind
Slovak vymývanie mozgov
- vymývanie mozgovform of indoctrination
Spanish lavado de cerebro, comedura de coco
- lavado de cerebroform of indoctrination
- comedura de cocoform of indoctrination
- lavar el cerebroto affect one's mind
Swahili fua bongo
- fua bongoto affect one's mind
Swedish hjärntvätt, hjärntvätta
- hjärntvättform of indoctrination
- hjärntvättato affect one's mind
Thai การล้างสมอง, ล้างสมอง
- การล้างสมอง (gaan-láang-sà-mɔ̌ɔng)form of indoctrination
- ล้างสมอง (láang-sà-mɔ̌ɔng)to affect one's mind
Turkish beyin yıkamak
- beyin yıkamakto affect one's mind
Ukrainian промива́ння мі́зків
- промива́ння мі́зків (promyvánnja mízkiv)form of indoctrination
Urdu دماغ شوئی
- دماغ شوئی (dimāġ-śū'ī)form of indoctrination
Vietnamese tẩy não, tẩy não
- tẩy nãoform of indoctrination
- tẩy nãoto affect one's mind
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with brainwash
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
brainwash. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brainwash
MLA
“brainwash.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brainwash. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brainwash,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brainwash.
Source: brainwash on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.