as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
time had cauterized his bitterness, and he was willing to let bygones be bygones
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Recent Examples of cauterize
When Amy Adams’ Lois Lane is wounded in the Arctic while working on a story, the ever-ready hero emerges from nowhere, ready to cauterize her wound with his X-ray eyes.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025
The cauterizing device commonly needed for this type of surgery couldn’t be used due to the risk of explosion.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 20 June 2025
For patients deemed female, excess flesh could be cut away, and for patients deemed male, the vulva could be cauterized to close it.
—Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2025
Two arms tipped with multiple tools can perforate gastric ulcers, cauterize and suture wounds, or perform emergency appendectomies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Apr. 2014
See All Example Sentences for cauterize
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025
The cauterizing device commonly needed for this type of surgery couldn’t be used due to the risk of explosion.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 20 June 2025
For patients deemed female, excess flesh could be cut away, and for patients deemed male, the vulva could be cauterized to close it.
—Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2025
Two arms tipped with multiple tools can perforate gastric ulcers, cauterize and suture wounds, or perform emergency appendectomies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Apr. 2014
See All Example Sentences for cauterize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterize
Verb
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But in the long run, that doesn’t do anything to dismantle networks of criminality or reduce the size of their operations.—
Angélica Durán-Martínez,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2026
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Others have sought to use cloud seeding to disperse fog at airports, tackle air pollution, reduce hail damage or even to manipulate the weather for major events, such as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Polhamus, 76, struggled to remember some key conversations and dates, blunting the impact of her testimony.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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The idea would be to blunt the impact of spiking valuations.—
Joshua Haiar & Seth Tupper,
States Newsroom,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The evening signaled that this is not the type of show that will deaden an artist behind glass vitrines.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Considerable resources were devoted to acoustics that deaden the train noise from the outside.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At its core, though, authenticity suggests experiences that feel genuine rather than manufactured—places where daily life unfolds naturally, traditions aren’t staged for visitors, and commercial gloss hasn’t dulled a destination’s character.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
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Also, don't store beans or ground coffee in the refrigerator—the coffee may absorb moisture and odors, dulling its flavor.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Work remained consistent even if the projects diminished in prestige and quality.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Left unaddressed, a voter in Maryland who prefers a House majority willing to check the power of the White House will have their vote diminished by what Republicans are doing elsewhere in the country.—
Eric H. Holder Jr,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
23 May 2023
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What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.—
Joe Morgenstern,
WSJ,
24 Jan. 2019
Verb
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While speculation has focused on the possibility of two Republicans advancing, the more likely scenario is that only one GOP candidate reaches November — and does so weakened.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Feb. 2026
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The effect occurs because friction between grains drops sharply under fast loads, weakening the internal force networks that normally support the material.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterize. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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