psychological warfare

noun

: things that are done to make someone (such as an enemy or opponent) become less confident or to feel hopeless, afraid, etc.

The army used radio broadcasts into enemy territory as a form of psychological warfare.

Examples of psychological warfare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

China is conducting the largest military build-up seen since that of Nazi Germany during the 1930s, one expert warns, after a new Department of Defense report detailed Beijing's operations including bolstering weapons and psychological warfare. —

Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 29 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, the factor of the unknown can gnaw at an antagonist’s imagination, filling an entire community with fear and adding a dimension of psychological warfare to the other challenges tunnel warfare poses. —

Arthur Herman, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2014 Israeli officials have labeled the practice a form of psychological warfare. —

Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025 Ukrainian forces are waging a campaign of psychological warfare against North Korean troops in a bid to encourage them to surrender. —

Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for psychological warfare

Cite this Entry

Style

“Psychological warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychological%20warfare. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Copy Citation