What Does 'Gaslight' Mean?
Brainrot Score: 8.3 ⓘ[ SLANG ][ VERB ][ PSYCHOLOGY ]
FORCE: Gen Z BrainrotUNIVERSE: Gen Z Slang
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.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
"He swore he never said he'd pick me up, even though I have the text. Stop trying to gaslight me."
LORE & 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 POPULARITY
2022-2023 (Word of the Year Peak)
CURRENT STATUS
Mainstream Slang
AURA IMPACT ⓘ
+30 AURA
TREND STATUS
↑ HIGH RISING FAST · MODERATE
CULTURE CATEGORY
[ SLANG ][ VERB ][ PSYCHOLOGY ]
MENTIONS OVER TIME
2023202420252026
RELATED SEARCHES
TOP PLATFORMS
TikTok
52%
YouTube
20%
Twitter / X
14%
Reddit
9%
Others
5%
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