Learn English – What’s a word or phrase that means ‘take advantage of someone’s psychological weaknesses’

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I'm looking for something that's catchy and succinct. 'Exploit' is a good word for 'take advantage of' but it doesn't take into account someone's psychological weaknesses.

example sentences:

"By taking advantage of her substance abuse in order to get sex, he was _________ her."

or

"She took advantage of his bad memory by repeatedly getting him to wash the dishes more often than not. She was _________ him."

Best Answer

gaslight

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Oxford dictionaries

verb: Manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity:

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dictionary.com definition

  1. to cause (a person) to doubt his or her sanity through the use of psychological manipulation:

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I think that's the closest I'm gonna get to what I want..

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