Synonyms

hebetate

American

[heb-i-teyt] / ˈhɛb ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

hebetated, hebetating

to make dull or blunt.

hebetate British

/ ˈhɛbɪˌteɪt /

adjective

(of plant parts) having a blunt or soft point

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

rare to make or become blunted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

hebetation noun
hebetative adjective

Etymology

Origin of hebetate

1565–75; < Latin hebetātus made dull or blunt (past participle of hebetāre ), equivalent to hebet- (stem of hebes ) blunt, dull + -ātus -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.

Hebetate, heb′e-tāt, v.t. to make dull or blunt.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

See corpse. deadborn, a. stillborn. deaden, v. blunt, benumb, hebetate, moderate; devitalize, subdue. dead-house, n. morgue; ossuarium, charnel-house, mortuary, tomb. deadly, a. fatal, mortal, lethal, lethiferous, noxious, internecine; implacable, unrelenting. deaf-mute, n.

From Project Gutenberg

It can beget bigotry, breed hypocrisy or hebetate affections.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023