stultify
[ stuhl-tuh-fahy ]
/ ˈstʌl təˌfaɪ /
||
verb (used with object), stul·ti·fied, stul·ti·fy·ing.
to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous.
to render absurdly or wholly futile or ineffectual, especially by degrading or frustrating means: Menial work can stultify the mind.
Law. to allege or prove (oneself or another) to be of unsound mind.
Nearby words
stuffy, stuiver, stuka, stukkend, stull, stultified, stum, stumble, stumble across, stumblebum, stumbling block
Origin of stultify
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for stultified
British Dictionary definitions for stultified
stultify
/ (ˈstʌltɪˌfaɪ) /
verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)
to make useless, futile, or ineffectual, esp by routine
to cause to appear absurd or inconsistent
to prove (someone) to be of unsound mind and thus not legally responsible
Derived Formsstultification, nounstultifier, noun
Word Origin for stultify
C18: from Latin stultus stupid + facere to make
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for stultified
stultify
1766, "allege to be of unsound mind" (legal term), from Late Latin stultificare "turn into foolishness," from Latin stultus "foolish" + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). The first element is cognate with Latin stolidus "slow, dull, obtuse" (see stolid). Meaning "cause to appear foolish or absurd" is from 1809.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper