gaslight

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

gas +‎ light. The verb sense derives from the 1938 stage play Gas Light, in which a husband attempts to convince his wife and others that she is insane by manipulating small elements of their environment.

Noun

gaslight (countable and uncountable, plural gaslights)

  1. (Britain) The light produced by burning piped illuminating gas.
  2. (Britain) A lamp which operates by burning gas.

Hypernyms

Translations

Verb

gaslight (third-person singular simple present gaslights, present participle gaslighting, simple past and past participle gaslighted or gaslit)

  1. To manipulate someone psychologically such that they question their own sanity, particularly by leading them to doubt their own experiences or perceptions of reality.
    • 2013, Victoria Summit, Stop Dancing in the Gaslight: Recognizing Domestic Abuse is Half the Battle, Scarlett Publishing, page 14,
      In the Disney movie, Oz, the Great and Powerful, Oz's gaslighting schemes showcase his extreme case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

See also

References

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