Synonyms of cauterize

cauterize

verb

ˈkȯ-tə-ˌrīz 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduce
• blunt
• deaden
• dull
• diminish
• benumb
• weaken
• subdue
• numb
• subside
• dampen
• damp
• decrease
• alleviate
• ease
• muffle
• mute
• tone (down)
• lessen
• lighten
• debilitate
• enfeeble
• let up (on)
• recede
• wane
• dwindle
• moderate
• lower
• taper (off)
• abate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sharpen
• enhance
• strengthen
• augment
• intensify
• consolidate
• deepen
• amplify
• stimulate
• boost
• magnify
• heighten
• step up
• whet
• arouse
• redouble
• beef (up)
• animate

Example Sentences

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