# brainwashing

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #31,461

## Definitions
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.

## Etymology
Calque of Chinese 洗腦 /洗脑 (xǐnǎo, literally “wash brain”). First use appears c. 1950.

## Common misspellings (19)
`barinwashing`, `bbrainwashing`, `brainawshing`, `brainnwashing`, `brainwahsing`, `brainwashhing`, `brainwashign`, `brainwashingg`, `brainwashinng`, `brainwashnig`, `brainwasihng`, `brainwasshing`, `brainwsahing`, `brainwwashing`, `braiwnashing`, `braniwashing`, `brianwashing`, `brrainwashing`, `rbainwashing`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/brainwashing