noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:B R EY1 N W AA2 SH IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A form of indoctrination that forces people to abandon their beliefs in favour of another set of beliefs by conditioning through various forms of pressure or torture.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coercive persuasion, mind control, menticide, programming, reeducation, thought control, thought reform
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
present participle and gerund of brainwash
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
forcible indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: indoctrination
History
Etymology
Calque of Chinese 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo, literally “wash brain”). First use appears c. 1950.
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
shpëlarje e trurit
— form of indoctrination
Arabic:
غَسِيل دِمَاغ
(ḡasīl dimāḡ)
— form of indoctrination
Arabic:
غَسِيل مُخّ
(ḡasīl muḵḵ)
— form of indoctrination
Arabic:
غسيل مخ
(ḡasīl muḵ)
— form of indoctrination
Armenian:
ուղեղների լվացում
(uġeġneri lvacʻum)
— form of indoctrination
Belarusian:
прамыва́нне мазго́ў
(pramyvánnje mazhów)
— form of indoctrination
Belarusian:
прамыва́ньне мазго́ў
(pramyvánʹnje mazhów)
— form of indoctrination
Bulgarian:
проми́ване на мо́зъци
(promívane na mózǎci)
— form of indoctrination
Catalan:
rentat de cervell
— form of indoctrination
Chinese Cantonese:
洗腦 /洗脑
(sai2 nou5)
— form of indoctrination
Chinese:
洗腦 /洗脑
(sé-náu, sóe-náu)
— form of indoctrination
Chinese Mandarin:
洗腦 /洗脑
(xǐnǎo)
— form of indoctrination
Czech:
vymývání mozků
— form of indoctrination
Danish:
hjernevask
— form of indoctrination
Dutch:
hersenspoeling
— form of indoctrination
Esperanto:
cerbolavado
— form of indoctrination
Estonian:
ajupesu
— form of indoctrination
Faroese:
heilatváttur
— form of indoctrination
Finnish:
aivopesu
— form of indoctrination
French:
lavage de cerveau
— form of indoctrination
Georgian:
ტვინის გამორეცხვა
(ṭvinis gamorecxva)
— form of indoctrination
German:
Gehirnwäsche
— form of indoctrination
German:
Hirnwäsche
— form of indoctrination
German:
Mentizid
— form of indoctrination
Greek:
πλύση εγκεφάλου
(plýsi egkefálou)
— form of indoctrination
Hebrew:
שטיפת מוח \ שְׁטִיפַת מוֹחַ
(shtifát móakh)
— form of indoctrination
Hindi:
विचार-नियंत्रण
(vicār-niyantraṇ)
— form of indoctrination
Hungarian:
agymosás
— form of indoctrination
Icelandic:
heilaþvottur
— form of indoctrination
Indonesian:
cuci otak
— form of indoctrination
Italian:
lavaggio del cervello
— form of indoctrination
Japanese:
洗脳
(sennō)
— form of indoctrination
Korean:
세뇌
(senoe)
— form of indoctrination
Latvian:
smadzeņu skalošana
— form of indoctrination
Lithuanian:
smegenų plovimas
— form of indoctrination
Macedonian:
миење мозок
(mienje mozok)
— form of indoctrination
Macedonian:
перење на мозокот
(perenje na mozokot)
— form of indoctrination
Norwegian Bokmål:
hjernevask
— form of indoctrination
Norwegian Bokmål:
hjernevasking
— form of indoctrination
Norwegian Nynorsk:
hjernevask
— form of indoctrination
Norwegian Nynorsk:
hjernevasking
— form of indoctrination
Iranian Persian:
شُسْتُشویِ مَغْزی
(šostošu-ye maġzi)
— form of indoctrination
Polish:
pranie mózgu
— form of indoctrination
Portuguese:
lavagem cerebral
— form of indoctrination
Romanian:
spălare a creierului
— form of indoctrination
Russian:
промыва́ние мозго́в
(promyvánije mozgóv)
— form of indoctrination
Serbo-Croatian:
испирање мозга
— form of indoctrination
Serbo-Croatian:
ispiranje mozga
— form of indoctrination
Slovak:
vymývanie mozgov
— form of indoctrination
Slovene:
pranje možganov
— form of indoctrination
Spanish:
lavado de cerebro
— form of indoctrination
Spanish:
comedura de coco
— form of indoctrination
Swedish:
hjärntvätt
— form of indoctrination
Tajik:
шустушӯи мағзи
(šustušü-yi maġz-i)
— form of indoctrination
Thai:
การล้างสมอง
(gaan-láang-sà-mɔ̌ɔng)
— form of indoctrination
Ukrainian:
промива́ння мі́зків
(promyvánnja mízkiv)
— form of indoctrination
Urdu:
دِماغ شُوئی
(dimāġ śūī)
— form of indoctrination
