as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence
being eliminated early in one's very first tennis tournament can be an emasculating experience
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Recent Examples of emasculating
In the political sphere—an arena that’s increasingly entangled with social media—figures such as Elon Musk decry empathy as an emasculating plague.
—
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
And yet precisely this dynamic ensures that commitment between men, the kind of domesticity that David and Giovanni attempt to establish in Giovanni’s room, can only ever be emasculating.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
And yet precisely this dynamic ensures that commitment between men, the kind of domesticity that David and Giovanni attempt to establish in Giovanni’s room, can only ever be emasculating.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emasculating
Verb
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Judge Salvador Vasquez sentenced Pouncey, 37, of Gary, to 176 years Friday for killing Klorya and her husband Kyle Matthews in April 2024, and paralyzing a third man, Malieke Thomas, 55, who later died.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
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The plan would block global flights at certain airports, paralyzing travel for some of the biggest cities in the country — especially New York City.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Without a baseline of knowledge, climate tech can feel abstract or intimidating.—
Cyril PETIT,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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These barriers are especially intimidating when brands are looking to expand internationally — operational missteps can often lead to growth stagnation.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is breathtaking and also terrifying with a 4-year-old along.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Facing the endless Cylon onslaught in the void of space is terrifying even in 2D battles, but many of Scattered Hopes' gut punches happen during unexpected narrative events or tough choices that doom entire ship populations.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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That combination—higher costs, fewer flights, and steady demand—has given airlines more room to raise fares without scaring off travelers.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
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Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Emasculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emasculating. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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