Merriam-Webster describes gaslighting as “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period      A representational image of gaslighting between a couple. — X/@adventurebook

The word "gaslighting" has become the most googled term in the United States by people usually looking for its definition as per a recent survey by Crossword Solver and a rise in overall searches.

The announcement comes after a 1,740% spike in searches and its designation as 2022's Word of the Year by Merriam-Webster.

The dictionary describes gaslighting as the “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”

However, experts caution that this is not how the phrase is being used very often these days; rather, it is being weaponised to silence individuals who disagree with you and to stop conversations.

“Gaslighting is often used in an accusatory way when somebody may just be insistent on something, or somebody may be trying to influence you,” Dr Robin Stern, co-founder of the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence and author of “The Gaslight Effect,” told Well and Good. “That’s not what gaslighting is.”

"The act of undermining another person's reality by denying facts, the environment around them, or their feelings," with the express purpose of creating uncertainty is gaslighting according to Dr Stern.

“The gaslighter intends to sow seeds of doubt in the person they are gaslighting, hoping to make them question their memory, their sanity, their perception, their reality,” she added.