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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadening
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
The tires also contain a sound-deadening foam that contributes to the Optiq’s quiet cabin.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
Here was an invention no one had asked for, that promised to upend perfectly good industries while further deadening the American intellect and locking in place the political biases of post-Covid Biden-crats.
—Caroline Downey, National Review, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadening
Verb
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
The tires also contain a sound-deadening foam that contributes to the Optiq’s quiet cabin.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
Here was an invention no one had asked for, that promised to upend perfectly good industries while further deadening the American intellect and locking in place the political biases of post-Covid Biden-crats.
—Caroline Downey, National Review, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadening
Adjective
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Part of what makes leeches so effective at blood-sucking is that their saliva has uniquely anesthetic and anticoagulant properties, so they’ve been used for thousands of years for folk medicines in Asia and Eastern Europe.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
21 Jan. 2026
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The suit alleges that surgeon Dare Ajibade gave Easley an excessive amount of the anesthetic lidocaine during the 6½-hour procedure and failed to recognize persistent vomiting afterward as a sign of toxicity.—
Fred Schulte,
Miami Herald,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Prior federal probes also looked at whether Tesla's Autopilot system may have been exacerbating human driver behavioral safety risks by undermining the effectiveness of the driver’s supervision.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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As inside sources told Business Insider, the tech giant quietly pulled its Blue Jay robot just months after its announcement, undermining its claims of taking advantage of recent advancements in AI tech.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In addition to the effects of the pandemic and tariffs, climate issues — drought in Vietnam, heavy rain in Indonesia, and hot, dry weather in Brazil — are blamed for reducing yields of coffee crops and driving up global prices.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Epibatidine intrigued researchers for decades and was once highly sought after as a potential analgesic many times more powerful than morphine.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some studies suggest lemongrass has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Unbalanced Or Leaning Tree A weakening root system or poor pruning practices can cause a tree to lean to one side.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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My opponent, Tim O’Hare, has led with ideology and performative politics, reducing transparency, weakening public participation, and creating financial instability through deficit-style budgeting and reserve spending.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There are gobs of money to be made selling enterprise software, but dulling the impact of AI is also a useful feint.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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Here, in the eyes of the reluctant young scholar, was a vital antidote to the dulling effects of habit and routine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Melania’s chronicle of her own life in and around the White House has a vague and eerie ChatGPT-like quality—anodyne statements full of clichés seemingly drafted for an educational video for third graders.—
Elizabeth Spiers,
Washington Post,
4 Feb. 2026
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While the photos on the pamphlets are anodyne—cheerful workers on assembly lines—the text offers a dire warning of looming job cuts, accusing Germany’s traditional unions of selling out workers.—
William Wilkes,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The selling pressure appears to be exhausting itself, setting the stage for a classic snap-back rally.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
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Still, investors in tech giants are growing nervous because these firms are essentially exhausting their available capital to fund the infrastructure buildout, according to Luria.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadening. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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