gaslighting
/ˈɡæslaɪtɪŋ/
noun
Origin
English
Gas Light — Title of a play and film featuring dimming gas-powered lights to cause confusion.
Overview
Meaning Now
- A form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, or sanity.
Language path
English
Earliest form
gaslighting
Earliest period
1944
Journey
The term is eponymously derived from Patrick Hamilton's 1938 play 'Gas Light'. In the story, a man dims the house's gas-powered lights and then denies that the lights have changed when his wife points it out, convincing her that she is hallucinating or losing her grip on reality to hide his criminal activities.
Evolution
- 1938
Gas Light
“A theatrical play where a husband manipulates his wife into believing she is losing her mind.”
Original stage production.
- 1940s-1960s
Gaslight
“The act of isolating and manipulating a spouse, as depicted in the 1944 film.”
Cultural reference.
- 1970s-present
gaslighting
“General psychological term for systematic manipulation.”
Psychological terminology.
Connections
Word parts
gas
root
fuel source
light
root
illumination
-ing
suffix
action
Related words
Explore next
Related to gaslighting
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.