emasculating

verb

present participle of emasculate
as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence being eliminated early in one's very first tennis tournament can be an emasculating experience

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emasculating
  1. paralyzing
  2. intimidating
  3. frightening
  4. terrifying
  5. scaring
Verb
  • In 2007, a car accident severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down.
    — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
  • With a combined readership of 75 million at their peak, Hopper and Parsons wielded extraordinary influence — and instilled paralyzing fear.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of paralyzing
Verb
  • Watching their fearlessness in an environment that outsiders so often frame as hostile or intimidating was another small revelation—a joyous example of how human life continues to flourish in this wildest of places.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The Protection from Abusive Passengers Act would bar passengers fined or convicted for assaulting or intimidating crew or other travellers.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Verb
  • For Cox and Walker, the challenge was to introduce horror-film conventions without frightening the franchise’s youngest viewers.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
Definition of frightening
Verb
  • The simple act of a child pedaling down empty hotel hallways on a Big Wheel builds anticipation, terrifying us with what may be around each corner.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Now a ruthless Emperor, Paul must face the consequences of his reign as old allies return, terrifying new threats emerge, and betrayal lurks in every shadow.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Verb
  • Together the duo enjoy scaring themselves into a teeth-chattering but delightful evening.
    — Liz Rosenberg, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Universal announced that Nikki, the character Navarrette plays in Obsession was going to roam all of Horror Nights, scaring people and taking photos like Art the Clown, Dracula, and the Weeknd in years past.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of scaring

Browse Nearby Words

emasculates
emasculating
emasculation
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Cite this Entry

“Emasculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emasculating. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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