as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
fear of saying anything controversial has so lobotomized this book on geopolitics that it fails to say anything at all
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Recent Examples of lobotomize
Indeed, Calvin is cheerfully lobotomizing a snowman.
—
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
All’s Fair is a 2010s Shonda Rhimes procedural on steroid shots and Goop supplements, if everyone in the writers’ room had been freshly lobotomized.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Neuro procedures are always the scariest, because the surgeons are basically poking around in a little black box and staring at brain waves and hoping their patients don’t wake up partially lobotomized.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
According to the film’s psychiatric adviser, Professor James Gilligan, however, who spoke to The Guardian in 2010, Andrew was aware of his actions when he was ordered to be lobotomized.
—Nicole Briese, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Quinn also needed to lobotomize the football culture and get players to buy into his team-over-me standard.
—Ben Standig, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
And to do so without fear of being incarcerated, lobotomized, rejected by our families or fired.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
Violet has had Catherine committed, and is advocating for her to be lobotomized by young surgeon John Cukrowicz (gay Hollywood legend Montgomery Clift) in a veiled attempt to keep their past with Sebastian a secret.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024
It’s just absolutely been lobotomized into something that sounds like Wikipedia, essentially.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
All’s Fair is a 2010s Shonda Rhimes procedural on steroid shots and Goop supplements, if everyone in the writers’ room had been freshly lobotomized.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Neuro procedures are always the scariest, because the surgeons are basically poking around in a little black box and staring at brain waves and hoping their patients don’t wake up partially lobotomized.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
According to the film’s psychiatric adviser, Professor James Gilligan, however, who spoke to The Guardian in 2010, Andrew was aware of his actions when he was ordered to be lobotomized.
—Nicole Briese, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Quinn also needed to lobotomize the football culture and get players to buy into his team-over-me standard.
—Ben Standig, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
And to do so without fear of being incarcerated, lobotomized, rejected by our families or fired.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
Violet has had Catherine committed, and is advocating for her to be lobotomized by young surgeon John Cukrowicz (gay Hollywood legend Montgomery Clift) in a veiled attempt to keep their past with Sebastian a secret.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024
It’s just absolutely been lobotomized into something that sounds like Wikipedia, essentially.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lobotomize
Verb
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Future decisions embracing those limits could further undermine the landmark voting law, long considered the crown jewel of the civil rights movement, and hamper the ability of voting rights groups and individual voters to file lawsuits alleging violations of the measure.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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Sandweg said one of the director's most underappreciated responsibilities is managing that internal fault line, ensuring that ERO's highly visible arrest operations do not undermine HSI's ability to cultivate the confidential informants and foreign partnerships on which its work depends.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
18 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
-
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
-
The weakened 65-year-old cartel will remain with its five original members—Iran, Iraq, and Venezuela, as well as the Saudis and Kuwaitis—and six oil-producing African nations.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
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This can weaken and compromise your home’s structural integrity, which could lead to safety hazards and expensive repairs.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Mitchell did not miss a shot in the quarter, draining all three of her 3-point tries as well as a step-back jumper.—
John Davis,
Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Even with so many suspects, Janet's brother, Francesco Caltieri, remembers hope draining away in his family's household.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Specifically, the program targets gap funding, financial support for students who are academically on track to graduate but have exhausted every other source of aid and still face an outstanding balance that could prevent them from finishing.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
At the school board meeting, many parents said they were exhausted from battling their kids over screen time.—
Sharon Lurye,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lobotomize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lobotomize. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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