Synonyms of mutilate

mutilate

verb

ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt 

as in to cripple

to cause severe or permanent injury to

was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cripple
• incapacitate
• injure
• maim
• wound
• disable
• kill
• scar
• damage
• hurt
• bruise
• lame
• dismember
• paralyze
• disfigure
• hit
• mangle
• lacerate
• beat
• maul
• impair
• rough (up)
• wing
• lick
• hobble
• harm
• hamstring
• murder
• pummel
• smash
• torture
• bludgeon
• batter
• gore
• slap
• punch
• spank
• whack
• box
• smack
• hammer
• whip
• paste
• flog
• pelt
• pound
• thrash
• bash
• belt
• torment
• bang
• thump
• lambaste
• lash
• swipe
• swat
• break
• bung up
• sock
• buffet
• lace
• drub
• kneecap
• wallop
• pommel
• thwack

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heal
• cure
• rehabilitate
• remedy
• fix
• patch
• restore
• repair
• renew
• mend
• doctor
• rejuvenate

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mutilate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mutilate are batter, cripple, maim, and mangle. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Where would batter be a reasonable alternative to mutilate?

Although the words batter and mutilate have much in common, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When is cripple a more appropriate choice than mutilate?

The words cripple and mutilate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When can maim be used instead of mutilate?

The meanings of maim and mutilate largely overlap; however, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When could mangle be used to replace mutilate?

While in some cases nearly identical to mutilate, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mutilate

Decomposing and mutilated human remains found on a beach on the resort island of Bali belonged to a Ukrainian man kidnapped and tortured while on holiday, Indonesian police said Friday. —CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026

In gangland circles, women are casually murdered and mutilated, their killers operating with utter impunity. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026

Nationwide, the first successful prosecution happened in 2016 when a Houston man was sentenced to five years for creating videos that featured a woman mutilating and killing puppies, chickens and kittens and distributing them on the internet. —Jay Weaver, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026

This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS. —Dan Mangan,leslie Josephs,spencer Kimball,cj Haddad,justin Papp,jordan Novet, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2026