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
But the prestige of Victoria grew and grew, nor were her prerogatives trifling: she could disband the army, unman the navy, set free all prisoners, make every British citizen a peer.
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
Today I came over here to say good-bye, expectin' to hold myself well in hand; but the first glance of your eyes unmans me.
From The Last Trail by Zane Grey
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
But to go without a good-by to her or Cecil, and the old thought, the ghost that haunts every untoward parting, if he should never see them again, unmans him for an instant.
From Floyd Grandon's Honor by Amanda Minnie Douglas
Oh, Oro! this death thou ordainest, unmans the manliest.
From Mardi: and A Voyage Thither, Vol. II by Herman Melville
"What I care about is whether the legislation meets the nation's needs -- whether it aligns with our indigenous defence strategy and the various requirements for developing our drone and unmanned vehicle industries," Cho said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
At the time, it said it had repurposed a building in order to produce the unmanned aircraft as part of a £200m investment.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Latvia’s military said the incursion of the unmanned aerial vehicle was caused by Russian electronic warfare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"We are significantly strengthening our ability to respond to hostile drones," German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the opening of the centre, which will focus on detecting and identifying unmanned aerial vehicles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Sputnik was unmanned, which means that no astronaut rode in it.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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
At this moment that unmanning thunder cloud, the aegis, Athena’s shield, took form aloft in the great hall.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
