emasculate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to deprive of strength; weaken.
The law was emasculated by its opponents, making it largely ineffective by the time it was passed.
- Synonyms:
- soften, devitalize, undermine, debilitate
-
to make (a man) feel less masculine.
Though some men might feel emasculated not making an income, I'm very happy as a stay-at-home father.
-
to remove the testicles of; castrate.
adjective
verb
-
to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld
-
to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc
-
botany to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding
adjective
-
castrated; gelded
-
deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc
Other Word Forms
- emasculation noun
- emasculative adjective
- emasculator noun
- emasculatory adjective
- self-emasculation noun
- unemasculated adjective
- unemasculative adjective
- unemasculatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of emasculate
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre ), equivalent to ē- “from”+ māscul(us) “male” + -ātus adjective suffix; e- 1, male, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He thought that the assertive Congress of the 1970s had gone too far and had emasculated the presidency, making it nearly impossible for the president to get things done.
From Salon
That dynamic was taboo for generations of Americans who feared it might emasculate men and ruin couples’ romantic lives.
Adrift and emasculated, Stan is less a patriarch than the defeated captain of a sinking ship, drowning in his futility.
From Los Angeles Times
The idea is to create a permission structure for men to support Harris and not feel emasculated by doing so.
From Salon
“He emasculated any public agency that might put a brake on his power,” Hunt said.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
