Gaslighting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A form of psychological manipulation that leads individuals to question their own reality and memories
2. An emotional abuse tactic that disorients victims by making them doubt their perceptions and sanity
3. A method of psychological manipulation that causes individuals to doubt their own reality, perceptions, and memory through deceitful tactics

Etymology: Gaslighting is the present participle of the verb "gaslight," so in its figurative sense it is simply that verb in its ongoing or noun-like use. The verb came first in its literal sense: to light a room with gas, a technology that spread through homes and streets in the 19th century. The manipulative sense grows out of that older meaning, and the figurative verb is formed by adding "-ing" to "gaslight."

Synonyms: manipulating, deceiving