lobotomy
noun
lo·bot·o·my
lō-ˈbä-tə-mē 
plural lobotomies
: surgical severance of nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus that has been performed especially formerly chiefly to treat mental illness
Examples of lobotomy in a Sentence
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It’s generally believed that Williams based Blanche DuBois on his sister Rose, who was beset with mental health issues and was given a lobotomy against her will.
—
David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
After lobotomies left many vulnerable patients disabled in the mid-20th century, the practice lost momentum and acquired a stigma.
—Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
There’s a kitschy, romantic, hero-worshipping nostalgia to the image, as if Norman Rockwell had undergone a lobotomy.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Transorbital lobotomies, which used a tool inserted into the back of the eye socket, were conducted on about 60,000 people across the U.S. between 1936 and 1956 alone.
—Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
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David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
After lobotomies left many vulnerable patients disabled in the mid-20th century, the practice lost momentum and acquired a stigma.
—Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
There’s a kitschy, romantic, hero-worshipping nostalgia to the image, as if Norman Rockwell had undergone a lobotomy.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Transorbital lobotomies, which used a tool inserted into the back of the eye socket, were conducted on about 60,000 people across the U.S. between 1936 and 1956 alone.
—Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lobotomy
Cite this Entry
“Lobotomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lobotomy. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
lobotomy
noun
lo·bot·o·my
lō-ˈbät-ə-mē
plural lobotomies
: surgical severance of nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus that has been performed especially formerly chiefly to treat mental illness
called also leukotomy
compare lobectomyLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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