1
as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence
the near crash of the airliner was a completely unmanning experience for the passengers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraging
to lessen the courage or confidence of
players who wouldn't let themselves be unmanned by the loss of a single game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmanning
Verb
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At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, paralyzing him from the waist down.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026 -
In a region where weather swings from paralyzing ice storms to scorching summers, these elements carry weight.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Critics argue that these tactics risk turning ordinary citizens into human shields, discouraging Israeli or American drone strikes or amplifying the civilian cost if attacks occur.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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Instead of listening to and learning from debates, the administration is discouraging them.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The air in the room changed immediately, terrifying little Liza.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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Pic was written and directed by horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, and follows the host (Nina Kiri) of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For those just starting out, financial health can feel intimidating.—
Charlyn Tanner,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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However, the process of buying and selling gold or silver can seem intimidating, especially for those who have never done so before.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ten points to Gryffindor for Bree shooting and subsequently scaring the bear away.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
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Effectively scaring a bear also reinforces the person as dominant in an encounter, so the bear learns to avoid people.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the political sphere—an arena that’s increasingly entangled with social media—figures such as Elon Musk decry empathy as an emasculating plague.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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And yet precisely this dynamic ensures that commitment between men, the kind of domesticity that David and Giovanni attempt to establish in Giovanni’s room, can only ever be emasculating.—
Garth Greenwell,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Unmanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmanning. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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