gaslighted
Made to doubt
Gaslighted is the past tense of gaslight, meaning to manipulate someone psychologically so they question their own memory, perception, or sanity.
The term comes from a 1944 film in which a husband dims the gas lights while denying any change, making his wife doubt her reality.
Someone who has been gaslighted has experienced sustained psychological manipulation designed to make them distrust themselves: She realized she'd been gaslighted for years when friends confirmed what she'd always suspected.
The alternate past tense gaslighted competes with gaslit.
Control through clever influence
- deceiveCause false belief
- distortTwist from original form
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- denyRefuse to admit
invalidate · mislead · coerce · exploit · control · dominate · influence · orchestrate
One harmed by another
- survivorOne still alive after
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- PTSDChronic reaction to horrific events
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
healing · therapy · abuse · wounded · scarred · damaged · violated · exploited
Deliberate falsehood
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- distortionTwisting from original state
misinformation · disinformation · coverup · pretense · blame-shifting · contradiction · misrepresentation · trickery
Mental disorientation or bewilderment
- disorientationLoss of spatial awareness
- self-doubtUncertainty about oneself
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- paranoiaIrrational persecution fears
hypervigilance · dissociation · depersonalization · second-guessing · destabilized · unmoored · crazy-making
Make null or void
- dismissSend away or reject
- minimizeReduce to smallest extent
- denyRefuse to admit
- discreditHarm another's reputation
belittle · trivialize · contradict · undercut · erode · destabilize · devalue · disparage
Self-obsessed person
- abuserOne who mistreats others
- manipulatorOne who controls cunningly
- liarOne who speaks falsely
- toxicCapable of causing harm
controlling · predatory · coercive · calculating · charming · two-faced · Jekyll-and-Hyde · enabler
manipulate
Control through clever influence
deny · invalidate · mislead · coerce · exploit · control · dominate · influence · orchestrate · engineer
victim
One harmed by another
- survivorOne still alive after
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- PTSDChronic reaction to horrific events
recovery · healing · therapy · abuse · wounded · scarred · damaged · violated · exploited · retraumatized
lie
Deliberate falsehood
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- denialRefusal to accept reality
distortion · misinformation · disinformation · coverup · pretense · blame-shifting · contradiction · misrepresentation · trickery · deceit
confusion
Mental disorientation or bewilderment
- disorientationLoss of spatial awareness
- self-doubtUncertainty about oneself
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
paranoia · hypervigilance · dissociation · depersonalization · second-guessing · destabilized · unmoored · crazy-making
invalidate
Make null or void
discredit · belittle · trivialize · contradict · undercut · erode · destabilize · devalue · disparage · ridicule
narcissist
Self-obsessed person
- abuserOne who mistreats others
- manipulatorOne who controls cunningly
- liarOne who speaks falsely
toxic · controlling · predatory · coercive · calculating · charming · two-faced · Jekyll-and-Hyde · enabler · accomplice
- wrongedabused, mistreated, victimized, exploited, oppressed
gaslightedvalidated
Confirmed as true or acceptable
believed · supported · corroborated · confirmed · verified
gaslightedenlightened
Possessing profound insight
disabused · informed · clarified · set straight · clued in