CAUTERIZE Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

cauterize

verb

ˈkȯ-tə-ˌrīz

Definition of cauterize

as in to reduce

to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling time had cauterized his bitterness, and he was willing to let bygones be bygones

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cauterize Altruism had drawn Welsh to medicine, but research, searching for a cure, had been the only salve that cauterized his bleeding heart. — Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 15 Mar. 2026 Department of Justice For years, the Firm, as the royal family is sometimes known, has attempted to cauterize the wound created by the Epstein scandal, taking steps to admonish Mountbatten-Windsor as more details about his relationship with Epstein emerged. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026 Why not cauterize a severed hand, add some just-for-fun cocktail rings, and then shatter the hand’s rigid bones with a hammer or mallet, which will allow the fingers to be wrapped around a colorful ceramic mug with a holly or mistletoe motif? — Paul Rudnick, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025 When Amy Adams’ Lois Lane is wounded in the Arctic while working on a story, the ever-ready hero emerges from nowhere, ready to cauterize her wound with his X-ray eyes. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cauterize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterize

Verb

The South in particular faces higher rates of obesity and other health challenges that have further reduced the pool of eligible recruits and contributed to higher injury rates during basic training, according to service data.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
The historic supply shock has also been softened by other factors, including alternative export routes out of the Gulf, China reducing its oil imports, the United States increasing production and drawdowns from global oil stockpiles.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

Earlier this month, the Democratic Party’s centrist wing announced a $15 million campaign through Third Way to blunt socialists’ influence in the party.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Aug. 2026
And that success blunts the effectiveness of what the Iranians are trying to do at the Strait of Hormuz.

— CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of blunt

Verb

And even though access to such banalities may sound brain-deadening, and at best dull, some of the most famous people in the world are now live-streamers.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Freezes caused by large cold fronts pushing into the state from arctic regions can ice over and deaden fruitful citrus trees.

— Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026

Definition of deaden

Verb

To protect himself, however, Trask has created an inhibitor field that de-powers any mutant nearby, dulling Wolverine’s healing power and ferocity.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Lastly, to dull the war-mongering vigor of the Rivermen, Ormund installs small, scared little boys, ripped from their homes, all along the chemin de ronde — a baby human shield for Ser Daeron the Daring’s great army.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of dull

Verb

Instead, the fresh requirements appeared to diminish prospects for a quick deal, despite optimism last week an agreement was near.

— Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
But they’ve never been litigated — and the developments are already stoking fears of diminishing Fed independence as the central bank weighs whether to raise interest rates at its next meeting.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of diminish

Verb

What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.

— Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.

— GEORGE PROCHNIK, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018

Definition of benumb

Verb

That makes the world a more dangerous place, where a mistake by just one actor could ignite a regional firestorm, with a US military weakened by Iran unable to ensure American security.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm Sunday after skirting Hawaii without making landfall, but it wasn’t done punishing the Big Island with hurricane-force gusts.

— Alexa St. John, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of weaken

Browse Nearby Words

caustically

cauterize

cauterized

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“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterize. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cauterize

verb

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