What Is Gaslight?
8.3BRAINROT SCOREGaslight To manipulate someone into doubting their own perception of reality or memory — originally a serious term for psychological abuse, now also used loosely or ironically online for minor manipulative behavior.
Origin:A clinical psychology term (traced to the 1944 film Gaslight) that surged into mainstream internet vocabulary around 2022, eventually named Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year before getting semi-ironically diluted into the 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss' meme trio.
First Seen:1944 (clinical term), viral internet usage 2022
Peak Era:2022-2023 (Word of the Year Peak)
Aura Impact:+30 Aura (Catching a Gaslighter) / -90 Aura (Getting Successfully Gaslit)
EXAMPLE USAGE
"He swore he never said he'd pick me up, even though I have the text. Stop trying to gaslight me."
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