as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
fear of saying anything controversial has so lobotomized this book on geopolitics that it fails to say anything at all
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Recent Examples of lobotomize
Quinn also needed to lobotomize the football culture and get players to buy into his team-over-me standard.
—
Ben Standig, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
And to do so without fear of being incarcerated, lobotomized, rejected by our families or fired.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
Violet has had Catherine committed, and is advocating for her to be lobotomized by young surgeon John Cukrowicz (gay Hollywood legend Montgomery Clift) in a veiled attempt to keep their past with Sebastian a secret.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024
It’s just absolutely been lobotomized into something that sounds like Wikipedia, essentially.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023
For someone who witnessed the Obama-era phenomenon of Low End Theory, the place seemed lobotomized.
—Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2023
To lobotomize their ability to access and express the full range of human experience back to consenting adults seems not just puritanical, but a fool’s errand.
—Tabi Jensen, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2023
This attracted all kinds of attention to it, so of course MS lobotomized her.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2023
What the choice actually did was magically lobotomize them, sending them wandering the streets.
—Steven Strom, Ars Technica, 6 June 2018
Ben Standig, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
And to do so without fear of being incarcerated, lobotomized, rejected by our families or fired.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
Violet has had Catherine committed, and is advocating for her to be lobotomized by young surgeon John Cukrowicz (gay Hollywood legend Montgomery Clift) in a veiled attempt to keep their past with Sebastian a secret.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024
It’s just absolutely been lobotomized into something that sounds like Wikipedia, essentially.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023
For someone who witnessed the Obama-era phenomenon of Low End Theory, the place seemed lobotomized.
—Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2023
To lobotomize their ability to access and express the full range of human experience back to consenting adults seems not just puritanical, but a fool’s errand.
—Tabi Jensen, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2023
This attracted all kinds of attention to it, so of course MS lobotomized her.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2023
What the choice actually did was magically lobotomize them, sending them wandering the streets.
—Steven Strom, Ars Technica, 6 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lobotomize
Verb
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This feels eerily similar to when Trump cut a deal with the Taliban while excluding the Afghan government—undermining their legitimacy and paving the way for disaster.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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Those errors undermined one of the best afternoons of organisation that Wolves fans have witnessed from their team in a long time.—
Steve Madeley,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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At the end of the clip, the singers decide to castrate the ex in question with a pair of tiny scissors and even pose with sharp objects a la Edward Scissorhands.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
10 Jan. 2025
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The shelter notes that Dwayne isn’t castrated, so his new home should only have other males and/or females that have been spayed.—
TJ Macias,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In the bond market, Treasury yields fell after a report said sales at U.S. retailers weakened by much more last month than economists expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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His executive order, unless reversed by the courts, will encourage greater corruption in Latin America, hurting the region’s economies, weakening democratic institutions and making countries poorer.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The savvy used patronage to expand, not drain, their wealth.—
Brian Klaas,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
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Natural calamities—floods, earthquakes, droughts, landslides—have also drained resources.—
Belinda Luscombe,
TIME,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Cowboys seem to be more concerned about the possibility of cap hell than exhausting every last resource to win now.—
Jon Machota,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
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The Baltimore region has recently faced a volley of winter weather, exhausting some school systems of their snow days and leaving slippery roads behind.—
Dan Belson,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near lobotomize
Cite this Entry
“Lobotomize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lobotomize. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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