emasculate

verb
UK: /ɪˈmæskjuleɪt/
US: /ɪˈmæskjuleɪt/

  1. To deprive a man of his male strength or potency, often literally by castration.

    1. The attacker tried to emasculate him during the brutal assault that night.
    2. Historically, certain societal roles involved the deliberate emasculation of individuals.

  2. To weaken or reduce the effectiveness of something.

    1. The new regulations will emasculate the power of the president.
    2. Critics argue that excessive bureaucracy can emasculate creative initiatives.

  3. To make a man feel less masculine or confident.

    1. His constant criticism served to emasculate his son.
    2. The competitive environment unintentionally can emasculate some male participants.

Synonyms

castrate debilitate unman weaken impotent devitalize enfeeble
emasculate adjective

  1. Having been deprived of strength or vigor.

    1. The emasculate leader lost control of the party quickly.
    2. An emasculate argument lacks the force to persuade anyone effectively.

  2. Made weaker or less effective.

    1. The law was an emasculate version of the original proposal.
    2. After several amendments, the bill became an emasculate shadow of its former self.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "emasculate" in English means: To deprive a man of his male strength or potency, often literally by castration., To weaken or reduce the effectiveness of something., To make a man feel less masculine or confident..

The phonetic transcription of "emasculate" is /ɪˈmæskjuleɪt/ in British English and /ɪˈmæskjuleɪt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "emasculate": castrate, debilitate, unman, weaken, impotent, devitalize, enfeeble.

Example usage of "emasculate": "The attacker tried to emasculate him during the brutal assault that night.". More examples on the page.