1
as in undermined
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
an excess of detail deadens much of the mystery novel's suspense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reduced
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a couple of aspirins deadened the headache
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadened
Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
Merrill had the same impulse—the need to become a self not necessarily free of all that money could buy but not crippled or deadened by it, either.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadened
Adjective
-
Other teams soon showed that astrocytes in dishes, brain slices, and even anesthetized animals responded to various neurotransmitters.—
Ingrid Wickelgren,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The lyrics have the same anesthetized ennui as in emo rap and the new wave of online rock, but the beats are menacingly new and dead-set on defacing your consciousness.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Yet for decades, this strategically important industry has been undermined by rampant customs fraud and chronic underinvestment in trade enforcement.—
Kim Glas,
Footwear News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
However, those efforts could be undermined by a recent increase in 2-year yields that threatens to compress excess spreads, according to Bank of America.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
An appeals court sided with Sacramento in the second case, and the planning area was ultimately reduced.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
For Wiggins, as with his teammates, now reduced to hope.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Igor, for his part, is the sort of hero who, unless he is tied up, drugged or hit from behind, will get the best of any opponent; even one with a gun.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Minnelli writes that Garland would remain in bed for days, depressed and heavily drugged.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed weakened rules governing the safe disposal of ash produced by burning coal.—
Michael Phillis,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
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But these strengths are being weakened by leadership that has failed to prioritize affordability and competitiveness.—
Randy Altschuler,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Though there was a thrilling edge to their early work—the lightning-in-a-bottle sample drill of Polo Perks and Moh Baretta, that spine-tingling Pasto Flocco run—it’s been dulled a bit in favor of ambling minimalism.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
6 Apr. 2026
-
In recent weeks, the vibe inside the arena has been dulled, with bad basketball, little star power and no effervescent Curry.—
Sports Columnist,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The boy is stupefied, snot intermingling with the puke dripping from his mouth to his navel.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the man captaining the boat that gets her into the Amazon is possessed by thoughts of a lost love, a story even a head-in-her-hands Tereza is exhausted by.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
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And what if the low-hanging fruit is exhausted and settlements become harder to come by?—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadened. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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