unman
Americanverb (used with object)
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unmans,
present (3rd person singular)
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unmanned,
past participle, past
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unmanning
present participle
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to deprive of courage or fortitude; break down the manly spirit of.
Constant conflict finally unmanned him.
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to deprive of virility; emasculate; castrate.
verb
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to cause to lose courage or nerve
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to make effeminate
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to remove the men from
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archaic to deprive of human qualities
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unmansimple
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unmanssimple
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have unmannedperfect
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has unmannedperfect
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am unmanningprogressive
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are unmanningprogressive
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is unmanningprogressive
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have been unmanningperfect progressive
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has been unmanningperfect progressive
Past
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unmannedsimple
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had unmannedperfect
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was unmanningprogressive
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were unmanningprogressive
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had been unmanningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unman
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.
See Examples For:
There’s fear, but not the kind of terror that might unman me, might tempt me to hop the fence and run for home.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2015
The same impulse to unman a social or cultural threat gambols across Groucho’s exchanges with Eliot.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2014
But the very process that allows it to make these corrections—its palindromes—can also unman it.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2012
Sample unthoughts about her unman: "The noise he made when he swallowed; his smelly feet!"
From Time Magazine Archive
"Does the thought of facing the Stark boy unman you, Tyrion? Your brother Jaime would be eager to come to grips with him."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
"Wind. Trees rustling. A wolf. Which sound is it that unmans you so, Gared?"
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
I cannot bear to speak of it all now, it unmans me.
From She and I, Volume 2 A Love Story. A Life History. by John C. (John Conroy) Hutcheson
I fear Job's grief unmans him, and he hath gone mad with Lear.
From A Hero and Some Other Folks by William A. (William Alfred) Quayle
"It is the disgrace,—that 's what unmans me."
From Barrington Volume I (of II) by Charles James Lever
But if your wife unmans your resolution, imploring dishonor rather than penury, may God pity and help you!
From Twelve Causes of Dishonesty by Henry Ward Beecher
He had prioritised drones while overlooking key front-line kit such as unmanned ground vehicles, pick-up trucks and motorbikes.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
In Iran, a war that has relied largely on older and expensive systems, the U.S. also used an unmanned boat made by defense startup Saronic to rescue a stranded helicopter crew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Navy is generally able to find such ships by flying aircraft overhead and launching unmanned systems in the water—in addition to its ships being equipped with advanced radar and intelligence systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The objects include unexploded ordnance, drones and other unmanned vehicles found washed ashore or floating at sea, it said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
It looks like there actually had been a roadblock here—cones and plastic barriers—but they’ve all been pushed aside and the site is unmanned.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
His final unmanning, complete with broken nose, is served up at Carly’s office by the now-empowered female trio.
From Time ● Apr. 24, 2014
In his new movie, Langella finds excellent employment for that unmanning stare.
From Time ● Aug. 16, 2012
As if sculpted from the earth, Tabor's voice resonates with ancient calm, both consoling and unmanning its listener.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2011
A new neighbor, Tim Valentine, confesses to another sort of problem: an initial enthusiasm followed immediately by unmanning apathy.
From Time Magazine Archive
“It is something like idleness and luxury unmanning us —the strings have gone slack and out of tune.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
