fear mongering

Meaning

1. 1noununcountabledisapproving

   The deliberate spreading of frightening ideas, often exaggerated, to make people afraid so they will act or vote a certain way.

   Grammar: Uncountable: accuse them of fear mongering, not a fear mongering.

   Patterns

   • accuse someone of fear mongering
   • fear mongering about something

   Critics called the ad fear mongering because it exaggerated the crime figures.

   The politician was accused of fear mongering over the new tax.

   Some news channels rely on fear mongering to keep viewers watching.

Common combinations

accuse someone of fear mongering

The senator accused the opposition of fear mongering.

pure fear mongering

Experts dismissed the report as pure fear mongering.

political fear mongering

Political fear mongering can distort public debate.

resort to fear mongering

The campaign resorted to fear mongering.

media fear mongering

Media fear mongering made parents anxious.

Synonyms and how they differ

scaremongering

Scaremongering is the same idea and is the more common British spelling.

alarmism

Alarmism is the habit of exaggerating dangers, but it need not be deliberate.

propaganda

Propaganda covers any biased persuasion, while fear mongering specifically uses fear.

hysteria

Hysteria is uncontrolled public panic, not the deliberate creation of it.

Opposites

Word family

fearmonger noun

a person who spreads fear to gain influence

fearmongering noun

the practice of spreading fear

scaremonger noun

British equivalent of fearmonger

fear noun

the feeling of being afraid

Commonly confused: fear mongering or warning?

Practice

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