Synonyms

mutilate

American

[myoot-l-eyt] / ˈmyut lˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

mutilated, mutilating

to injure, disfigure, or make imperfect by removing or irreparably damaging parts.

Vandals mutilated the painting.

Synonyms:

cripple, mar, damage
to deprive (a person or animal) of a limb or other essential part.

mutilate British

/ ˈmjuːtɪˌleɪt /

verb

to deprive of a limb, essential part, etc; maim; dismember
to mar, expurgate, or damage (a text, book, etc)

"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

Related Words

See maim.

Other Word Forms

mutilation noun
mutilative adjective
mutilator noun
mutilatory adjective
self-mutilating adjective
self-mutilation noun
unmutilated adjective
unmutilative adjective

Etymology

Origin of mutilate

1525–35; from Latin mutilātus (past participle of mutilāre “to cut off, maim”), equivalent to mutil(us) “maimed, mutilated” + -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.

“The DGA strongly opposes the use of AI or any other technology to mutilate a film or to alter a director’s vision,” the DGA said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2025

Prosecutors accuse the former president of trying to “alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal evidence,” and of inducing another person to do so.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023

“We have concluded on the basis of present evidence that Nosenko was dispatched to the West to mutilate counterintelligence leads which had been revealed by Golitsyn,” Angleton said.

From Washington Times • Jan. 1, 2023

"They've actually forced the cane toad to get rid of the toxin itself, they haven't had to mutilate it in any way. The cane toad is doing all the work for them."

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2022

I don’t know, I guess I always thought I’d turn out okay, no matter how badly my many schools tried to mutilate me.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

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