as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
by the time of the fourth rewrite, the screenplay had pretty much been gelded of all originality
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Recent Examples of geld
By gelding a choirboy, the Church would suspend his gossamer vocal cords so that a child’s song could live on in a man’s throat, backed, crucially, by a man’s powerful lungs.
—
Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Gegen and his 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding One Question raced through the course in 44.686 seconds for the win.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
An Oldenburg gelding in the horse barn, which is paved with rubber tiles; another stall contains a 1900s French armchair, a 19th-century table, and bird prints.
—Anita Sarsidi, ELLE Decor, 1 June 2023
Because Moscow retains a close partner in this effort to geld Ukraine—a vassal state that presents the model for what Putin would like to accomplish in Ukraine: Belarus.
—Casey Michel, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for geld
Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Gegen and his 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding One Question raced through the course in 44.686 seconds for the win.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
An Oldenburg gelding in the horse barn, which is paved with rubber tiles; another stall contains a 1900s French armchair, a 19th-century table, and bird prints.
—Anita Sarsidi, ELLE Decor, 1 June 2023
Because Moscow retains a close partner in this effort to geld Ukraine—a vassal state that presents the model for what Putin would like to accomplish in Ukraine: Belarus.
—Casey Michel, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for geld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for geld
Verb
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Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.—
Mark Sherman,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
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The Productivity Paradox The cruel irony of America’s sleep deficit is that overwork undermines the output it’s meant to produce.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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If the very successful 25-year-old Coward had been caught with a man, he could have been jailed or chemically castrated.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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Justin Bieber has had multiple stalkers, including a New Mexico man and his nephew who plotted to murder and castrate the pop singer in 2013.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The deeper the rifts between the United States and Europe over Iran, the greater the chances of weakening the NATO alliance.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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During his appearances on Capitol Hill this month, Secretary Kennendy was grilled about the administration's defense of the pesticide industry and weakening of protections against mercury pollution, another issue that Kennedy had worked on as an advocate.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Weighing in at 710 tons, the sculpture was built to circulate 30,000 gallons of water but has been drained since 2024 in order to have its inner workings assessed.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 May 2026
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Her own growth hasn’t just been paused by the demands of caring for a sick child, it’s been drained by the constant mental load that comes with it.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The starting quarterback competition is coming down to returning players Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall, as Jalon Daniels has exhausted his eligibility and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins recovers from an injury.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 May 2026
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Diplomacy, economic pressure, and international cooperation should always be exhausted first.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The actor wore a white cutout dress that revealed a light blue undergarment with a pale pink floral print, paired with white shoes and a blue bow.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
5 May 2026
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Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Irina Shayk both wore revealing looks on the carpet.—
Beatrice Dupuy,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
Verb
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In group chats and meetings, Republicans are privately petrified the Iran war could cost them the midterms.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
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The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Geld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/geld. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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