cauterizing

verb

present participle of cauterize
as in reducing
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 cauterizing Jhin says doctors can remove them by shaving, scraping, freezing or cauterizing them. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 18 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterizing
  1. reducing
  2. blunting
  3. dulling
  4. deadening
  5. diminishing
  6. weakening
  7. numbing
Verb
  • The expectation is that, with the SAFER barrier, cars will slide along it in an accident, reducing the risk of the car ending up bouncing back onto the racing line.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Asked by the Miami Herald who would cover the difference between what Hialeah pays Miami-Dade County for water and sewer services and what the city would collect after reducing customers’ bills by 25% or 50%, Calvo said there is no gap.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • The law is aimed at blunting financial scams that often target older adults, which frequently include prompting victims to withdraw large sums of money at once.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Semaglutide can hook into this system, blunting the usual pleasure from eating high-fat and sugary treats.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of blunting
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
  • Here are the cleaning mistakes that could be dulling your hardwood floors’ shine, as well as the simple fixes to restore their finish.
    — Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of dulling
Verb
  • Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sam Lambert laid down a safety squeeze, deadening the ball in front of the plate and scoring Balls to trim the lead to 3-1.
    — Dave Montrose, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
Definition of deadening
Verb
  • Seemingly, the only thing that could slow down the automobile takeover was diminishing fuel supplies, fear of which had become a fixation of American oil companies and government officials after the Armistice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Having already weathered so many attacks aimed at diminishing its power, the remaining Iranian leadership, which learned to tolerate hardship in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, is unlikely to be cowed by further aggression.
    — JAMES F. JEFFREY, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminishing
Verb
  • Rising operational and financing costs, weakening global demand and shifting trade dynamics ultimately led the board of directors to discontinue operations, the company said.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • An effective Houthi blockade of Bab al-Mandeb would open a new front in the war with Iran and could require US military intervention, potentially weakening Washington’s ability to keep ships moving through Hormuz.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • News Channel 5 similarly reported that she was erroneously given potassium in place of numbing medication.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The oil is mixed with garlic and soy sauce that’s been reduced with scallions and brown sugar, forming a salty-sweet elixir that delivers lip-numbing but not face-melting heat.
    — Warren Rojas, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of numbing

Browse Nearby Words

cauterizes
cauterizing
caution
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Cite this Entry

“Cauterizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterizing. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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