English Explanatory Dictionary

Mandela effect

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The phenomenon of a large number of persons independently sharing the same false memory.

Word forms

Mandela effect Mandela effects

Etymology

Coined by American writer and paranormal consultant Fiona Broome in 2009 in reference to a false memory she had of South African leader Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) dying in the 1980s that other people reportedly shared.

Related words

counterfactual
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