Gaslighting
noun / verb /ˈɡæslaɪtɪŋ/ — Manipulating someone into questioning their own reality.
Definition
The act of manipulating someone into doubting their own memory, perception, or sanity; psychological manipulation that makes the victim question their own experience.
Beyond the definition
Having the word for this changed things. For many people, naming gaslighting was the moment they recognised what had been done to them. Language is power — especially when it gives you the ability to identify harm.
Origin & history
From the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband manipulates his wife by dimming the gas lights and then denying the lights have changed, making her question her sanity.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She finally had a word for it: gaslighting. He hadn't just disagreed — he'd made her doubt her own mind.
Gaslighting is one of the most insidious forms of emotional abuse precisely because it's invisible.
Good institutions don't gaslight — they acknowledge mistakes.
Synonyms
manipulation, psychological abuse, mind control, reality distortion
Antonyms
validation, transparency, honesty
Related words
- narcissism
- cognitive-dissonance
- projection
- manipulation
Gaslighting vs manipulation
Manipulation is a broad term for any attempt to influence someone through indirect, deceptive, or unfair means. Gaslighting is a specific and particularly insidious form: it doesn't just influence you toward a conclusion — it undermines your ability to trust your own perception and memory. Manipulation can be obvious once you see it; gaslighting is harder to identify because it attacks the very faculty you'd use to recognize it.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Adult and partner in mirror
One adult chooses a coat in front of a mirror while the partner copies them, their own reflection looking washed out and confused.
The partner’s confused expression while looking for cues reflects the experience of manipulation, where one’s own memory and perception of self-identity are made to feel uncertain and faint.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration