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Word · #27
Gaslighting
Jun 12, 2026 2,504
The 1944 Film Scene That Named It
“You are slowly going insane. That is exactly what is happening to you now.”
Jack Manningham, Gas Light (1944)
 

Entered clinical psychology usage by the 1960s-70s to describe a pattern of manipulation within relationships. Crossed into mainstream political and media commentary more broadly starting in the 2016-2020 period.