Synonyms of mutilate

mutilate

verb

ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt 

as in to cripple

to cause severe or permanent injury to

was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cripple
• incapacitate
• injure
• maim
• wound
• disable
• kill
• scar
• damage
• hurt
• bruise
• lame
• dismember
• paralyze
• disfigure
• hit
• mangle
• lacerate
• beat
• maul
• impair
• rough (up)
• wing
• lick
• hobble
• harm
• hamstring
• murder
• pummel
• smash
• torture
• bludgeon
• batter
• gore
• slap
• punch
• spank
• whack
• box
• smack
• hammer
• whip
• paste
• flog
• pelt
• pound
• thrash
• bash
• belt
• torment
• bang
• thump
• lambaste
• lash
• swipe
• swat
• break
• bung up
• sock
• buffet
• lace
• drub
• kneecap
• wallop
• pommel
• thwack

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heal
• cure
• rehabilitate
• remedy
• fix
• patch
• restore
• repair
• renew
• mend
• doctor
• rejuvenate

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mutilate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mutilate are batter, cripple, maim, and mangle. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Where would batter be a reasonable alternative to mutilate?

Although the words batter and mutilate have much in common, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When is cripple a more appropriate choice than mutilate?

The words cripple and mutilate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When can maim be used instead of mutilate?

The meanings of maim and mutilate largely overlap; however, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When could mangle be used to replace mutilate?

While in some cases nearly identical to mutilate, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mutilate

Sam’s face was mutilated beyond recognition; his mother identified him by a tattoo on his chest that read Mother, and promptly collapsed. — Laura Secor, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026

Guess which mowing league isn't mutilating hedgehogs? — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026

One knight short for the trial of seven that will determine if he is freed or if he will be mutilated by the crown, Dunk appeals to the honor of all knights present, asking them to take up his cause. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 10 June 2026

Tony Lee Hughes, 38, of the 600 block of Camelot Manor, is charged with Level 6 felonies of killing a domestic animal and mutilating a vertebrate animal. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026