"Gaslighting" Is Word of the Year
It joins "deepfake" and "fake news" as words to indicate the use of technology to deceive
Gaslighting is much more than the classic film in which Charles Boyer’s character attempts to convince his wife, played by Ingrid Bergman, that she is crazy. Boyer, who wants control of her money, causes the lights in the house to dim, while insisting to his wife that they are not, and he repeatedly tells her that she cannot trust what she believes she sees.
Similarly mind-manipulating, grossly misleading, or downright deceitful behaviors have become so pervasive in our culture that Merriam-Webster, the dictionary company, has named “gaslighting” word of the year for 2022. It defines the word as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.”
Merriam-Webster gives these examples of the 2022 use of “gaslighting”:
Patients who have felt that their symptoms were inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by doctors are using the term “medical gaslighting” to describe their experiences and sharing their stories.— The New York Times, 28 March 2022
The “I’m sorry you feel that way” approach, along with avoiding an argument in lieu of admitting fault, is good old fashioned gaslighting. — Psychology Today, 29 March 2022
My Committee’s investigation leaves no doubt that, in the words of one company official, Big Oil is ‘gaslighting’ the public. These companies claim they are part of the solution to climate change, but internal documents reveal that they are continuing with business as usual. — Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, 14 September 2022
After their fight awkwardly cleared the daybed, the two parted ways and Genevieve caught Victoria up on the unexpected blowout. “He told me I’m gaslighting him. I’ve never even been told that in my life,” Gen said. “Yeah that’s a big word to use… He doesn’t know what that means. He’s just using a buzzword, he’s stupid. He’s dumb,” Victoria replied. — Nicole Gallucci, Decider (decider.com), 2 November 2022
“Gaslighting” has come to mean more than lying. The term takes its place alongside fake news and deepfake for the use of technology to deceive and manipulate.
Note: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year