red pill
noun
variants
or less commonly Red Pill
plural red pills also Red Pills
slang
: something that causes someone to become aware of or recognize the truth or facts (as of a situation)
—usually used in the phrase take the red pill
… take the red pill and learn more about the leading causes of climate change and its effects.—
Elizabeth Jenkins
—often used by and about followers of ultra-conservative or extremist ideologies to refer to the adoption of such ideologiesElizabeth JenkinsBut taking the red pill … is much more commonly used on the internet to denote a right-wing political awakening.—Jake Swearingen
Jake Swearingen… a term used in masculinist communities, "taking the red pill", which describes awakening to the "fact" that women are vain and vacuous and select their partners solely on genetically determined physical attributes.—Newsweek.com
—sometimes used before another nounNewsweek.comthe red pill movement
Examples of red pill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Amid an influx of trends, like the red pill movement, data shows that men are by and large putting off commitment for longer.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Joining OneTaste was sometimes referred to as taking the red pill.
—Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
And remember, behind most red pill beliefs are real emotions—loneliness, rejection, insecurity, or confusion.
—Sherri Gordon, Parents, 29 July 2025
Similarly, executives who take the entrepreneurial red pill often discover versions of themselves and possibilities for impact that remained invisible from their corporate vantage point.
—Isabelita Castilho, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Subsequently, Morpheus offers him the red pill and reopens his mind to the world of the Matrix.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025
The dynamite emoji represents an exploding red pill, a reference to the manosphere.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025
Jamie speaks about the red pill 80-20 rule in the manosphere, or the theory by some men that only 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men.
—Emily Maddick, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2025
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Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Joining OneTaste was sometimes referred to as taking the red pill.
—Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
And remember, behind most red pill beliefs are real emotions—loneliness, rejection, insecurity, or confusion.
—Sherri Gordon, Parents, 29 July 2025
Similarly, executives who take the entrepreneurial red pill often discover versions of themselves and possibilities for impact that remained invisible from their corporate vantage point.
—Isabelita Castilho, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Subsequently, Morpheus offers him the red pill and reopens his mind to the world of the Matrix.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025
The dynamite emoji represents an exploding red pill, a reference to the manosphere.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025
Jamie speaks about the red pill 80-20 rule in the manosphere, or the theory by some men that only 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men.
—Emily Maddick, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Red pill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20pill. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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