mortify
verb
Jane Austen
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The Deadly History of Mortify
Mortify once actually meant "put to death", but no longer. Its "deaden" sense is most familiar to us in the phrase "mortifying the flesh", which refers to a custom once followed by devout Christians, who would starve themselves, deprive themselves of every comfort, and even whip themselves in order to subdue their bodily desires and punish themselves for their sins. But the most common use of mortify today is the "humiliate" sense; its connection with death is still apparent when we speak of "dying of embarrassment".
Synonyms
Examples of mortify in a Sentence
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2024
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is reliving a mortifying moment on Saturday Night Live.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
The pranks Charlie plays, which mortify her sister and exasperate their parents (Rosie Cavaliero and Andy Nyman), include some of the film’s punchiest set pieces and most humorous one-liners, helping maintain its overall comedic tone.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2024
The presenters quickly apologised, and Margolyes said afterwards that she was mortified for swearing on the BBC.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near mortify
Cite this Entry
“Mortify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortify. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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mortify
verb
Medical Definition
mortify
intransitive verb
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