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gelded 1 of 2

adjective

as in castrated

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gelded

2 of 2

verb

past tense of geld
as in undermined
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality by the time of the fourth rewrite, the screenplay had pretty much been gelded of all originality

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 gelded
Verb
For the second time this season, the Red Raiders gelded the Cougars. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gelded
  1. emasculated
  2. castrated
  3. altered
  4. undermined
  5. neutered
  6. exhausted
  7. weakened
  8. drained
Adjective
  • There’s an incident at a gun range where Ned’s fear of looking emasculated requires his army vet girlfriend to fall for his very dumb, very obvious lies.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
  • And that’s the main tension this season, as Beau is feeling emasculated by the dynamic.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 July 2026
Definition of emasculated
Verb
  • This is the league, remember, where a man (Harvey Updyke) confessed to poisoning the trees at Auburn on a radio show after Alabama lost to the Tigers, and a coach (Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State) castrated a bull to motivate his squad.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Those expectations got castrated because of last season’s early struggles.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
Definition of castrated
Adjective
  • The images appear to be AI-altered and falsely claim that Democratic state lawmaker Lorena Austin backs GOP candidate Andy Biggs.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • It’s well known that psychedelics such as LSD can spark psychotic breaks, but meditation can produce altered states of consciousness almost as powerful as those induced by psychedelics.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of altered
Verb
  • China’s domestic car market is under pressure from intense competition and price wars, while the slowing economy has undermined consumer confidence.
    — Chan Ho-Him, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Last week, OutKick explained how Magnus undermined his own edict and vision by hiring back Stan Verrett to host a throwaway show on NFL Network.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of undermined
Adjective
  • All adoptable pets are spayed, neutered and up to date on vaccines and tests.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
  • This reader hopes that will be a rebuttal to all the dubious America 250 content flooding orgs beholden to the neutered NEA.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Definition of neutered
Verb
  • This change responds to the numerous college athlete-plaintiffs who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility, but who seek to continue playing or return to competition.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The film’s director, Florian Zeller, has perhaps exhausted the goodwill afforded to him after the Oscar-winning run for 2020’s The Father.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhausted
Verb
  • Some trees succumbed to insects after being weakened by drought.
    — Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • More than eight in 10 voters support tapping the state’s flush coffers to bolster human service programs weakened by severe federal cutbacks, according to a new poll commissioned by Connecticut nonprofit social service agencies.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakened
Verb
  • Over and over, my father rinsed the rice, drained the water, then filled the pot again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • If numbers don’t lie…are Hollywood and the streaming platforms actually beginning to release the stale notion that middle-aged and older women are drained of their creative juices after menopause?
    — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of drained

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Cite this Entry

“Gelded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gelded. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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