propagandize

IPA/ˌprɒpəˈɡændaɪz/
KK[prˌɑpəɡˈændˌaɪz]IPA/ˌprɑːpəˈɡændaɪz/

propagandize — verb

  • propagandizepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • propagandizeshe / she / it
  • propagandizedpast simple
  • propagandizing-ing form

1. to produce or spread strongly one-sided messages in order to shape how people th

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveC2
Definition

to produce or spread strongly one-sided messages in order to shape how people think about a cause, group, or event

Example

The state radio station propagandized the border conflict all summer.

transitive: propagandize + event/cause

Party volunteers went door to door to propagandize for the reform.

intransitive: propagandize for + cause

Common collocations
  • propagandize the war effort
  • propagandize a policy
  • propagandize for a cause
  • propagandize against an enemy
Synonyms
  • indoctrinate

    focuses more on shaping beliefs inside people over time

  • brainwash

    stronger and more informal, suggesting extreme mental control

  • publicize

    neutral; means make something known, not spread biased persuasion

Grammar Patterns

propagandize + object

propagandize for/against + cause or target

Usage Note

Usually used in political, wartime, or ideological settings and often carries criticism. The object can be the cause or message being promoted, or the verb can stand alone when the campaign itself is the focus.

Common Mistakes

The company propagandized its summer sale on television.
The company advertised its summer sale on television.
propagandize is for ideological or political persuasion, not ordinary commercial promotion.

2. to direct propaganda at a person or group so that they are repeatedly pushed tow

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to direct propaganda at a person or group so that they are repeatedly pushed toward a particular belief

Example

The regime propagandized schoolchildren through daily flag ceremonies and speeches.

propagandize + group through repeated ceremonies

Officers spent weeks propagandizing new recruits before the parade.

propagandize + recruits

Common collocations
  • propagandize schoolchildren
  • propagandize recruits
  • propagandize voters
  • propagandize the public
Synonyms
  • indoctrinate

    usually suggests deeper and longer-term training in a belief system

  • brainwash

    much stronger and more emotional, often implying severe manipulation

  • condition

    broader and less political; can refer to training habits as well as beliefs

Grammar Patterns

propagandize + person/group

propagandize + person/group + with/through + message

Usage Note

In this sense, the object is the person or group receiving the pressure, often children, recruits, voters, or the public. Distinguish it from sense 1, where the focus is on spreading the message itself.

Common Mistakes

The camp lectures propagandized about the enemy every night.
The camp lectures propagandized the boys against the enemy every night.
this sense takes the people receiving the message as the object.

Word family

  • propaganda
    nounC1
  • propagandist
    nounC1
  • propagandistic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Propagandize, indoctrinate, brainwash, publicize, and campaign all involve trying to shape what people think, but they differ in method and tone. Propagandize is formal and strongly negative: it means spreading one-sided messages, often for political or ideological aims. Indoctrinate focuses more on training people to accept a belief system, especially over time. Brainwash is stronger and more emotional, suggesting extreme pressure that seems to weaken independent judgment. Publicize is neutral; it simply means making something widely known. Campaign is broader and can be positive or negative, often describing organized public action rather than manipulative messaging. A government may propagandize the war, a school may indoctrinate children, a cult may brainwash followers, and a charity may publicize a new appeal.

propagandize ↗indoctrinate ↗brainwash ↗publicize ↗campaign ↗

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Propagandize was formed in English from propaganda with the verb suffix -ize. Propaganda entered English through modern Latin in the name of a Catholic body, Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, literally a group concerned with spreading the faith. Over time, propaganda widened from religious spreading to organized political or ideological persuasion, and propagandize came to mean to spread such messages or to direct them at people.

First known use

1844

1844, in the meaning defined at transitive sense