as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
a movie version that castrates the hard-hitting novel
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Recent Examples of castrate
Before long a steer, or castrated bull, named Sue gingerly wanders into the Darwin home.
—
CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Set in the Italian opera world of the 1700s, Rice’s novel tells the not-for-the-squeamish story of two male soprano singers who were castrated as boys in order to maintain their high voices.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025
The book follows two men pursuing opera in 18th-century Italy — one, named Guido, is castrated to preserve his soprano singing voice, and the other, Tonio, is castrated by his brother Carlo in an attempt to control their family line.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2025
Donkey has now been castrated, and the adorable family trio lives together in a large field with Partridge's other horses.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for castrate
CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Set in the Italian opera world of the 1700s, Rice’s novel tells the not-for-the-squeamish story of two male soprano singers who were castrated as boys in order to maintain their high voices.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025
The book follows two men pursuing opera in 18th-century Italy — one, named Guido, is castrated to preserve his soprano singing voice, and the other, Tonio, is castrated by his brother Carlo in an attempt to control their family line.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2025
Donkey has now been castrated, and the adorable family trio lives together in a large field with Partridge's other horses.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for castrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castrate
Verb
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Kent’s departure quickly became a flashpoint inside conservative media, with some praising him for taking a stand and others accusing him of undermining the administration during wartime.—
Steve Mollman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Time for Warren Buffett to get the owners in the Casa Grande ballroom and run a cost-benefit analysis on the value of undermining the league’s integrity in a sport in bed with gambling against the price of paying officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the president contends there is no excuse for the lack of participation now that Iran's navy has been sunk and its air defenses severely weakened.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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In the state’s view, that weakens or muddies the legal boundary between the two types of gambling venues.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Knueppel nearly recorded his first career triple-double, posting 26 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists, draining 6 of 10 shots beyond the arc.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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Schedule a brief meeting to set fair deadlines so people understand how to support your goals without draining your reserves.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cops are searching for multiple suspects wearing ski masks last seen fleeing the scene on foot.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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He was last seen wearing a denim shirt and jeans.—
Jeff Nguyen,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Consideration for a draft would only begin after exhausting troops on the ground with the country's active-duty military personnel, such as full-time professional military, including National Guard and Reserves, and any volunteers or enlistees who join after the war begins.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
25 Mar. 2026
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In addition to exhausting reporters and scrambling the news cycle, episodes like this have fueled speculation that people close to the president are feeding off the chaos.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
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The former slingshots between harmony and hysteria; the latter petrifies its beauty under a haze of ashy gray powder.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Castrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castrate. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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