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stultify

[ stuhl-tuh-fahy ]
/ ˈstʌl təˌfaɪ /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

mock, hinder, prevent, smother, cripple, suffocate, negate, stifle, nullify, impair, inhibit, ridiculous

Nearby words

  1. stuffy,
  2. stuiver,
  3. stuka,
  4. stukkend,
  5. stull,
  6. stum,
  7. stumble,
  8. stumble across,
  9. stumblebum,
  10. stumbling block

Origin of stultify

1760–70; < Late Latin stultificāre, equivalent to Latin stult(us) stupid + -i- -i- + -ficāre -fy
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stultify

British Dictionary definitions for stultify

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for stultify

stultify

v.

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