as in anesthetic
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in undermining
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 reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a couple of aspirins deadened the headache
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadening
Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
But the author wisely escapes the deadening simplifications of hindsight, which turn accidents into inevitabilities and potential futures into obvious dead ends.
—Catherine Nicholson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadening
Verb
Thin sound deadening The Enabling Technology prize went to CompositeEdge GmbH and ATA Mute BV for a new kind of sound deadening.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
But the author wisely escapes the deadening simplifications of hindsight, which turn accidents into inevitabilities and potential futures into obvious dead ends.
—Catherine Nicholson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadening
Adjective
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The Yale researchers specifically have noted that deeper anesthetic states may contribute to postoperative cognitive problems, particularly among older adults and patients with preexisting medical conditions.—
Dr. John Guzzi,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2026
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The album’s ideal love is anesthetic, a script for surviving daily chaos and tragedy that doesn’t require reciprocation.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Congress can pursue fiscal responsibility without undermining one of the most focused and effective nutrition programs in the federal government.—
Sam Raus,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
-
If organizations aren’t careful, their approach to AI will split their workforce into haves and have-nots, undermining the technology’s benefits.—
Matt Rosenbaum,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The price tag comes from the California State Auditor’s report that was issued last fall, which found that maintaining similar telework policies could potentially save $225 million annually by reducing the government’s office space footprint.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2026
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An April 2026 analysis identified 446 hospitals across 44 states at high risk of closing or reducing services because of Medicaid funding cuts.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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The compounds in kratom show promise for their analgesic properties.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
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The classic pisco sour is unmissable, as is the island cocktail made with pisco, eucalyptus syrup, and wild murta, a local antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic berry used by indigenous communities in traditional medicine and food.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In conclusion, autonomous AI risks undermining the essential human spirit of science and weakening its role as an arbiter of social conflicts.—
Mohammad Hosseini,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
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Critics argue the measures risk worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis on the island without meaningfully weakening the government.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
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At some point, the bracket creep is going to overreach into the point of diminishing marginal returns — dulling regular seasons and perhaps ultimately even eventually interest in the postseasons.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2026
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Glycolic acid removes dead, dulling surface cells to reveal more radiant skin and help vitamin C penetrate skin more effectively.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Here, the drive experience is rather anodyne, albeit entirely acceptable for a daily driver.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
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The two use cases presented were pretty anodyne; the glasses can capture an image and Gemini can answer questions about it and provide more information.—
Cortney Harding,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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But eventually, the structure itself needs to be questioned, because getting that balance right becomes the difference between retaining strong leaders and slowly exhausting them.—
Bronwen Sciortino,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadening. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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