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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Recent Examples of cauterize
All of his attempts to cut away his past, to cauterize himself and separate himself from it, would fail.
—
Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2024
During this procedure, a surgeon makes a slit in the cyst and cauterize (burns the area to prevent bleeding) the edges of the incision, allowing the cyst to drain continuously.
—Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 27 Sep. 2024
As Hercules cut off the Hydra’s heads, Iolaus cauterized the stumps with a burning torch to prevent new growth, allowing the pair to defeat the monster.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024
With the outreach to contributors drawing skepticism and even outrage, the White House tried to cauterize the wound with an announcement yesterday that the 81-year-old president will sit down for an extended interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on July 5.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for cauterize
Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2024
During this procedure, a surgeon makes a slit in the cyst and cauterize (burns the area to prevent bleeding) the edges of the incision, allowing the cyst to drain continuously.
—Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 27 Sep. 2024
As Hercules cut off the Hydra’s heads, Iolaus cauterized the stumps with a burning torch to prevent new growth, allowing the pair to defeat the monster.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024
With the outreach to contributors drawing skepticism and even outrage, the White House tried to cauterize the wound with an announcement yesterday that the 81-year-old president will sit down for an extended interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on July 5.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for cauterize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterize
Verb
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The goal of this prescribed burn is to decrease the existing fire hazard and to prevent and reduce the impact of future fires in the area.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Traditional office leasing implies maintainable overheads, upkeep costs and long-term financial commitments; modular offices eliminate them and reduce construction costs by as much as 30%.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Survivors also had higher blood pressure but a lower heart rate in response to trauma cues, suggesting that their trauma response had become blunted over the years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Apr. 2025
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Combine with intention: Pairing caffeine with L-theanine, fats (like MCT oil) or nutrient-dense meals can blunt its intensity and prolong its effects.—
Ximena Araya-Fischel,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
By studying the images, engineers can confirm and enhance the sonic-boom-deadening properties for the XB-1's airframe.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
3 Mar. 2025
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Lightweight glass, a reduction of sound-deadening materials, and the marginally lighter 6-speed manual gearbox help the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T Cabriolet weigh 3,505 pounds—the company's lightest manual open-roof variant.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The clarity might improve, but the spark—the particular cadence of someone’s thinking, the messy brilliance of their raw insight—can get dulled in translation.—
Rhea Wessel,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The intentionally half-baked approach to Season 2 foreshadows an overstuffed and potentially controversial third season, the emotional effect of which will be dulled by the likely long hiatus (Season 1 premiered in January 2023).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Whereas a decline in home values diminishes the equity investors might hold in their properties, which limits their ability to leverage assets for additional investments or refinancing opportunities.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, a more constrained and domestically focused healthcare agenda is likely to diminish trust in federal health agencies, limit access to culturally competent care and produce a loss of global leadership in health innovation.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
23 May 2023
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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
Verb
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The pests set about sucking the sap from grape roots, slowly weakening them and opening wounds that invited disease.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
28 Apr. 2025
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As more state legislation is passed that weakens or eliminates longstanding fire and life safety codes, the need for young workers who are trained and passionate about reversing these trends is high.—
Jim Pauley,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterize. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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