propaganda

noun

pro·​pa·​gan·​da ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də 

ˌprō-

1

capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions

2

: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

3

: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause

also : a public action having such an effect

Did you know?

The History of Propaganda

Propaganda is today most often used in reference to political statements, but the word comes to our language through its use in a religious context. The Congregatio de propaganda fide (“Congregation for propagating the faith”) was an organization established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV as a means of furthering Catholic missionary activity. The word propaganda is from the ablative singular feminine of propogandus, which is the gerundive of the Latin propagare, meaning “to propagate.” The first use of the word propaganda (without the rest of the Latin title) in English was in reference to this Catholic organization. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that it began to be used as a term denoting ideas or information that are of questionable accuracy as a means of advancing a cause.

Examples of propaganda in a Sentence

She didn't buy into the propaganda of her day that women had to be soft and submissive. —Maria Shriver, Time, 26 Oct. 2009

They see all clear thinking, all sense of reality, and all fineness of living, threatened on every side by propaganda, by advertisement, by film and television. —C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism, (1961) 2009

We've so bought into the mass delusion, the nutty propaganda, that now the ideal American family is one that's on steroids … —Anna Quindlen, Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2009

… just propaganda for a mode of life no one could live without access to the very impulse-suppressing, nostalgia-provoking drugs they don't want you to have … —Richard Ford, Independence Day, 1995

He was accused of spreading propaganda.

The report was nothing but lies and propaganda.

Recent Examples on the Web

Black describes the pre-war South as enclosed in a propaganda bubble, a steady media diet that told a story only from the enslavers’ point of view. —Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025

The broadcasters provide news and current affairs coverage around the world, particularly in countries that are saturated by propaganda and starved for independent news coverage. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

Suri is married to a U.S. citizen with Palestinian heritage who is the daughter of a former Hamas adviser and Department of Homeland Security officials have accused Suri of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

The right-wing media watchdog published a timeline this week laying out the shifting trajectory of the GOP’s anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda campaigns since 2015. —Samantha Riedel, Them., 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Congregatio de propaganda fide Congregation for propagating the faith, organization established by Pope Gregory XV †1623

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing propaganda

• counter-propaganda
• propaganda machine

Rhymes for propaganda

• jacaranda
• memoranda
• aranda
• miranda
• veranda
• verandah
• banda
• ganda
• panda
• vanda

Kids Definition

propaganda

noun

pro·​pa·​gan·​da ˌpräp-ə-ˈgan-də 

ˌprō-pə-

: an organized spreading of certain ideas

also : the ideas spread in this way

propagandist

-dəst 

noun or adjective

propagandistic

-ˌgan-ˈdis-tik 

adjective