Definition of "propaganda" []

• The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause. (noun)
• Material disseminated by the advocates or opponents of a doctrine or cause: wartime propaganda. (noun)
• Roman Catholic Church A division of the Roman Curia that has authority in the matter of preaching the gospel, of establishing the Church in non-Christian countries, and of administering Church missions in territories where there is no properly organized hierarchy. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Until recently the most famous historical use of the term propaganda made it synonymous with foreign missions."
• "One of the first big Hollywood stars to play in a Chinese film and promote it, Bale, who won an Oscar this year for his role in "The Fighter", said anyone who used the word propaganda to describe Zhang's film would be wrong."
• "Thus, originally, the term propaganda was a neutral term."