Gaslighting
BehaviorPsychologically manipulating someone into doubting their own perception of reality.
What it means
Gaslighting is the deliberate denial of a partner's reality — claiming events didn't happen, claiming the partner is misremembering, or reframing the partner's correct concerns as paranoia. The term comes from the 1944 film Gaslight. It's been so over-applied online that the technical psychological meaning has gotten diluted, but the core pattern — sustained reality-distortion — remains a serious abuse marker.
Related terms
Make the first impression the easy part.
Turn the photo you have into a better photo or a short video. Still you, on a good day.