false-memory syndrome

[ fawls-mem-uh-ree sin-drohm, -druhm ]

noun

1. a psychological condition in which a person believes that they remember events that have not actually occurred. Compare recovered memory.

false memory syndrome

noun

1. an alleged condition in which a person undergoing psychotherapy erroneously believes in traumatic events in his or her childhood See also recovered memory

Word History and Origins

Origin of false-memory syndrome¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

A la recherche du temps inconnu FALSE-MEMORY syndrome is a bane of the legal system.

From Economist