Word Salad: How Narcissists Manipulate People With Their Speech

Narcissists love to talk in circles and confuse you with their word salad. Know what it is and how to spot it!

The “word salad” has become a signature ingredient in narcissistic manipulation. — Image by Author on Midjourney and Canva

Word Salad is probably the most confusing and infuriating manipulation tactic used by narcissists. It is absolutely maddening! If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a narcissistic Word Salad, you probably agree with me on this.

The term “Word Salad” was originally used in psychiatry to describe the nonsensical speech of patients suffering from schizophrenia or other brain disorders. Patients string together words that don’t make any sense grammatically or semantically, for example, “The soil is dirty because the moon is falling.”

The Sly Art of Manipulative Questioning: Your Guide to Outsmarting Manipulators

While the term originally referred to psychosis, it’s now more often used in relation to narcissism. In this context, a Word Salad occurs when a narcissist strings together a bunch of random words and phrases in an attempt to confuse and manipulate you. The narcissist will use Word Salad as a way to dodge…