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
Neither of those has happened, with Destiny 2 now lobotomized just a few years after the deal and Marathon struggling to find a playerbase.
—
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
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
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lobotomize
Verb
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Court records show Sorsby wagered at least $90,000, including bets on Indiana football, as the NCAA warns the ruling could destabilize college sports and undermine competitive integrity.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
But that kind of moderation bottleneck undermined the Polymath vision.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Seemingly to help stave off temptation, a half dozen of the 18 male cult members who died had been surgically castrated, according to The New York Times, including Applewhite.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
8 June 2026
-
Under colonial rule hijras were accused of acting as male prostitutes and of kidnapping and castrating children to grow their community.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Over the course of two summers, the Kings weakened the fulcrum of their roster by losing Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency, then exacerbating matters by casting off Jordan Spence for a modest return.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
-
The acid can etch, discolor, or weaken stone and concrete.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
Verb
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If anything, you’re getting called out for committing to people, places and things that have been low-key draining you.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
Just be sure to plant it in well-draining loamy or sandy soil in a location that receives 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Trapped by high interest rates and the cumulative weight of inflation, the bottom 80 percent of earners are aggressively pulling back on discretionary goods, exhausting credit options and downgrading to private-label and discount brands.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
10 June 2026
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On Tuesday, the Social Security Administration said the federal program is at risk of exhausting its trust fund as soon as 2023.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lobotomize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lobotomize. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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