gaslighting
/ˈɡæs.laɪ.tɪŋ/
Very CommonManipulating someone into questioning their own reality, memory, or perception.
Overused online for any disagreement. Originally describes a serious form of psychological abuse. Now often used loosely for minor denials or differing memories, which dilutes the meaning.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I saw the texts and he still said it never happened. Pure gaslighting. | Despite clear evidence, he denied the truth to make her doubt herself. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | She said I was being dramatic for being upset. That is textbook gaslighting. | Dismissing valid emotions as overreaction is a form of manipulation. | tiktok, 2023 |
| 03 | Not everything is gaslighting. Sometimes people just disagree with you. | Pushing back on the overuse of the term for normal disagreements. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | Gaslight gatekeep girlboss. | Ironic phrase joking about toxic manipulative behavior presented as empowerment. | x, 2022 |
Use it when
- Someone is deliberately making you doubt your own memory of events.
- A person denies saying something you clearly heard them say.
- Someone tells you that your emotional reaction is crazy when it is valid.
- You are describing a pattern of psychological manipulation in a relationship.
Do not use it when
- Someone simply disagrees with your opinion.
- Someone genuinely remembers things differently.
- You are losing a normal argument.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
Named after the 1944 film 'Gaslight' where a husband manipulates his wife into thinking she is going insane by dimming gas lights and denying it. The psychology term existed for decades before becoming mainstream internet vocabulary around 2018-2020.
- First seen
- 1960s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/gaslightingUpdated: 2026-08-25License: CC BY 4.0