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lobotomize

American  
[luh-bot-uh-mahyz, loh-] / ləˈbɒt əˌmaɪz, loʊ- /
especially British, lobotomise

verb (used with object)

lobotomized, lobotomizing
  1. to perform a lobotomy on.

  2. to make (someone or something) abnormally tranquil or sluggish.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of lobotomize

First recorded in 1940–45; lobotom(y) + -ize

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.

“A straight job,” she once said, “would lobotomize me.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

More than that, the entire engagement is crafted to weaken the critical faculties and lobotomize us in a robot mentality.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2018

OK, maybe hate is a strong word, even for a show that I felt had the capacity to lobotomize if watched as a daylong marathon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2015

Cutting out third-party cookies would lobotomize the web; blocking cookies simply cannot solve the privacy challenge.

From Forbes • Sep. 18, 2013

But it is also fresh evidence of television's ability to lobotomize democracy.

From Time Magazine Archive

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