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
Relevance
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
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
-
At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, paralyzing him from the waist down.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In a region where weather swings from paralyzing ice storms to scorching summers, these elements carry weight.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In May 2025, Peralta-Quintana was charged with intimidating and retaliating against a witness, and he was convicted on those counts as well, the DA said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
February 19 – March 20 Money choices don’t have to be intimidating today.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The air in the room changed immediately, terrifying little Liza.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Pic was written and directed by horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, and follows the host (Nina Kiri) of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ten points to Gryffindor for Bree shooting and subsequently scaring the bear away.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Effectively scaring a bear also reinforces the person as dominant in an encounter, so the bear learns to avoid people.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Emasculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emasculating. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
