gaslight
Psychologically undermine someone
To gaslight someone is to manipulate them into doubting their own perceptions, memory, or sanity.
The term comes from a 1938 play in which a husband dims the gas lights while denying any change, making his wife question her grip on reality.
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse: He gaslit her for years, insisting her concerns were imaginary.
The word has broadened to describe any attempt to make someone distrust their own judgment: The company tried to gaslight customers about the defective product.
Coercively alter beliefs
- coerceObtain by intimidation
- deceiveCause false belief
- misleadCause false belief
- distortTwist from original form
undermine · invalidate · confuse · disorient · exploit · twist · warp · deny
Enclosed portable light
- wickFuel-drawing cord
- flameBurning gas made visible
- mantleCovering or wrap
- burnerHeat-producing device component
flicker · glow · illumination · fixture · streetlamp · sconce · brass · Victorian
Excessive admiration of oneself
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- victimOne harmed by another
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
awareness · recognize · patterns · toxic · emotional · mental · self-doubt · validation
Mid-forties wartime year
- filmMovie or coating
- noirHard-boiled film genre
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
drama · performance · psychological · classic · Hollywood · stage · adaptation · Paula
Of a prim era
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- antiqueOld valued collectible
- historicOf lasting significance
- eraDistinct historical period
19th-century · old-fashioned · atmospheric · nostalgic · heritage · Dickensian · cobblestone · foggy
brainwash
Coercively alter beliefs
distort · undermine · invalidate · confuse · disorient · exploit · twist · warp · deny · contradict
lantern
Enclosed portable light
burner · flicker · glow · illumination · fixture · streetlamp · sconce · brass · Victorian · oil
narcissism
Excessive admiration of oneself
recovery · awareness · recognize · patterns · toxic · emotional · mental · self-doubt · validation · boundaries
1944
Mid-forties wartime year
thriller · drama · performance · psychological · classic · Hollywood · stage · adaptation · Paula · plot
Victorian
Of a prim era
era · 19th-century · old-fashioned · atmospheric · nostalgic · heritage · Dickensian · cobblestone · foggy · London
- Victorian eraparlour, Victorian etiquette, etiquette, parlor games, courtship
- Neologismsselfie, blog, vlog, podcast, hashtag
- Old Towncobblestone streets, cobblestone street, cobblestones, market square, town square
- ParisEiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Seine, Montmartre
- period dramaperiod costumes, costume drama, Victorian era, period piece, Edwardian era
- trickerytrick, deceive, mislead, hoax, ruse
gaslightaffirm
Declare to be true
corroborate · confirm · verify · substantiate · bear witness