CAUTERIZE Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

cauterize

verb

ˈkȯ-tə-ˌrīz

Definition of cauterize

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cauterize Altruism had drawn Welsh to medicine, but research, searching for a cure, had been the only salve that cauterized his bleeding heart. — Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 15 Mar. 2026 Department of Justice For years, the Firm, as the royal family is sometimes known, has attempted to cauterize the wound created by the Epstein scandal, taking steps to admonish Mountbatten-Windsor as more details about his relationship with Epstein emerged. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026 Why not cauterize a severed hand, add some just-for-fun cocktail rings, and then shatter the hand’s rigid bones with a hammer or mallet, which will allow the fingers to be wrapped around a colorful ceramic mug with a holly or mistletoe motif? — Paul Rudnick, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for cauterize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterize

Verb

Between announcements, conversations, engine noise, and everything else happening around you, reducing these additional sounds can make a long travel day much more comfortable.

— Julie Rousseau, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2026
In fact, a 2025 study found that 28 percent of people with telogen effluvium had reduced ferritin levels, while no one in the control group had a deficiency.

— Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

The issue came after the FAA insisted new upgrades to the facility, which moved from Long Island to Philadelphia the previous summer, would blunt new outages.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
Lobbyists representing hospitals have also begun working to roll back the cuts — or blunt them through new funding.

— Daniel Payne, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of blunt

Verb

Too much intention, too much Trying to Say, too much overarching metaphor, can deaden your work.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of deaden

Verb

Then there is smell, dulled by our reliance on artificial fragrance; and sound, overwhelmed by notification pings.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026
Over time, that buildup can actually dull the finish and make the whole room feel less clean, even if everything else is spotless.

— Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of dull

Verb

Theirs is the paramount love story here, which works well in some ways but less so in others, somehow diminishing the stakes of their respective longing for Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) and Willoughby (Frank Dillane).

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
But people have decided to use their savings and savings is diminishing.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of diminish

Verb

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
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.

— GEORGE PROCHNIK, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018

Definition of benumb

Verb

Higher borrowing costs can eventually weaken loan demand and increase stress among borrowers.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent polling supports the article’s claim that Latino support has weakened amid concerns about inflation, immigration enforcement, jobs and wages.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaken

Browse Nearby Words

caustically

cauterize

cauterized

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“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterize. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cauterize

verb

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