lobotomize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to perform a lobotomy on.
-
to make (someone or something) abnormally tranquil or sluggish.
Other Word Forms
- lobotomist noun
- lobotomization noun
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
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.
