brainworm
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A persistent delusion or obsession; a deeply-ingrained or unquestioned idea.
Register: derogatory, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Of all the toxic brainworms Ronald Reagan passed down to his acolytes and imitators, almost none has proven more ineradicable and ruinous than his pathologically dissociative behavior when confronted with any information that threatened to impede his world-view.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “brainworm” mean?
A persistent delusion or obsession; a deeply-ingrained or unquestioned idea.
Is “brainworm” formal or informal?
brainworm is generally derogatory, slang.