Propaganda
noun /ˌprɒp.əˈɡæn.də/ — Information spread to promote a cause, often misleading or biased.
Definition
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. Originally a neutral term for the spreading of ideas; now almost universally understood as the manipulation of information to serve power.
Beyond the definition
Propaganda works by telling you a truth and surrounding it with lies, or by telling you a lie and surrounding it with truths. Its power is not in its falseness, but in its selectivity — what it omits is what makes it dangerous.
Origin & history
Latin: 'propagare' (to propagate). From the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith) — a Catholic institution founded in 1622 to spread the faith. The word acquired negative connotations through its wartime uses.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The posters were propaganda in the classical sense: beautiful, simple, designed to bypass thought.
She could identify propaganda by what it didn't say as much as what it did.
The difference between propaganda and advertising is mainly in the subject matter and the admission of intent.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Propaganda” when the meaning fits your context: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. Originally a neutral term for the spreading of ideas; now almost universally understood as the manipulation of information to serve power.
Synonyms
disinformation, spin, agitprop, messaging
Antonyms
objectivity, journalism, truth
Related words
Propaganda vs disinformation
Propaganda is biased information designed to promote a specific political cause. Disinformation is the intentional spread of false information specifically designed to deceive.
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
Orator Before Large Audience
An orator on a wooden stage gestures with outstretched arms before an unseen, vast audience.
The commanding rhetoric of the orator, if used to manipulate, represents propaganda, where the speaker uses biased language and presence to promote a specific cause to the vulnerable audience.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Propaganda" mean?
Propaganda is noun meaning: Information spread to promote a cause, often misleading or biased.. Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. Originally a neutral term for the spreading of ideas; now almost universally understood as the manipulation of information to serve power.
Where does the word "Propaganda" come from?
Latin: 'propagare' (to propagate). From the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith) — a Catholic institution founded in 1622 to spread the faith. The word acquired negative connotations through its wartime uses.