as in undermines
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
a movie version that castrates the hard-hitting novel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castrates
Verb
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As per usual for Hollywood, but in a choice that undermines this particular show’s themes, characters who we’re supposed to see as plain are played by extremely attractive actors.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026 -
Overall, these practices contribute to a context that undermines character.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When CEOs treat financial advice as a substitute for judgment, leadership starts to erode, decisions slow down, and conviction weakens.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Trump’s focus on the Western Hemisphere — as a show of might that weakens China’s geostrategic influence, Nikkei wrote.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The denial exhausts the city’s legal options for the 2022 ballot measure, known as Measure C.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
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Ella has shades of Holly Hunter's intense, workaholic producer Jane from Brooks' 1987 masterpiece Broadcast News, the smartest person in any room who both exhausts and enchants everyone around her.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This structural and compounding loss heightened by sidelining Black women’s leaders drains institutions of current productivity and future leadership pipelines.—
Jallicia Jolly,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Fill the pot with loose, slightly acidic soil that drains quickly.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This classic Victorian wears its age beautifully, with stone details, shingles, and deep eaves that hint at its past.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
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Engaged to be married to the rich but dull George (played by John Lund), Lord wears a scene-stealing ring throughout the film, its central stone elegantly flanked by a pair of tapered baguettes.—
Rachel Garrahan,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Castrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castrates. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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