as in undermines
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
a movie version that castrates the hard-hitting novel
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Recent Examples of castrates
By way of example, Morris points to a scene in Wiseman's 1993 documentary Zoo, in which an all-women surgical team at Miami zoo castrates a wolf.
—
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 16 Feb. 2026
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castrates
Verb
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The Big 12 also has its own sports betting policy that forbids coaches, staff and athletes from engaging in sports wagering activity that undermines the integrity of games.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 June 2026
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Progressives across the country have spent years arguing that unlimited outside spending distorts democracy, empowers wealthy interests, and undermines trust in government.—
Julie Won,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Verb
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When foreign investors pull money out of the country, demand for the rupiah drops, and the currency weakens.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
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Every interaction either builds confidence or weakens it.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Watching this scene, and much of the film, exhausts me.—
Jenny Odell,
Longreads,
2 June 2026
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If the search for a large outdoor planter exhausts you—just get a terra-cotta planter.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The sensation, and the tranquility that comes with it, will stay with you long after the water drains away.—
Alissa Greenberg,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
-
Lavender prefers coarse, sandy soil that drains quickly.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Farrell, who also narrates in a soft voice, often wears a look of shy incomprehension, as if a beat behind in translating the world around him, a stranger in a strange land.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Non-inverter ACs feature simpler parts that are cheaper and easier to fix, but the stop-start cycle wears the mechanical parts out faster, so these air conditioners are more prone to frequent repairs and tend to have a shorter lifespan.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
18 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Castrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castrates. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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