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.

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Origin of stultify

1760–70; < Late Latin stultificāre, equivalent to Latin stult(us) stupid + -i- -i- + -ficāre -fy

SYNONYMS FOR stultify

2 cripple, impede, frustrate, hinder, thwart.

OTHER WORDS FROM stultify

Words nearby stultify

stuffy, stuiver, stuka, stukkend, stull, stultify, stum, stumble, stumble across, stumblebum, stumbling block
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to stultifying

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

Example sentences from the Web for stultifying

British Dictionary definitions for stultifying

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 forms of stultify

stultification, 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