lacerate

[ verb las-uh-reyt; adjective las-uh-reyt, -er-it ]
See synonyms for lacerate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),lac·er·at·ed, lac·er·at·ing.
  1. to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.

  2. to distress or torture mentally or emotionally; wound deeply; pain greatly: His bitter criticism lacerated my heart.

adjective

Origin of lacerate

1
1535–45; from Latin lacerātus, past participle of lacerāre “to tear up” (derivative of lacer “mangled”); see -ate1

synonym study For lacerate

1. See maim.

Other words for lacerate

Other words from lacerate

  • lac·er·a·ble, adjective
  • lac·er·a·bil·i·ty [las-er-uh-bil-i-tee], /ˌlæs ər əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
  • lac·er·a·tive [las-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv], /ˈlæs əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv/, adjective
  • self-lac·er·at·ing, adjective
  • un·lac·er·at·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for lacerate

lacerate

verb(ˈlæsəˌreɪt) (tr)
  1. to tear (the flesh, etc) jaggedly

  2. to hurt or harrow (the feelings, etc)

adjective(ˈlæsəˌreɪt, -rɪt)
  1. having edges that are jagged or torn; lacerated: lacerate leaves

Origin of lacerate

1
C16: from Latin lacerāre to tear, from lacer mangled

Derived forms of lacerate

  • lacerable, adjective
  • lacerability, noun
  • laceration, noun
  • lacerative, adjective

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