as in anesthetic
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in undermining
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
an excess of detail deadens much of the mystery novel's suspense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reducing
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a couple of aspirins deadened the headache
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadening
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
But the author wisely escapes the deadening simplifications of hindsight, which turn accidents into inevitabilities and potential futures into obvious dead ends.
—Catherine Nicholson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The tires also contain a sound-deadening foam that contributes to the Optiq’s quiet cabin.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadening
Verb
Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
But the author wisely escapes the deadening simplifications of hindsight, which turn accidents into inevitabilities and potential futures into obvious dead ends.
—Catherine Nicholson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The tires also contain a sound-deadening foam that contributes to the Optiq’s quiet cabin.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadening
Adjective
-
The singer's 2009 death was officially attributed to the legal anesthetic propofol.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The American Veterinary Dental College, American Animal Hospital Association and American Animal Hospital Association all support anesthetic pet dentistry as opposed to anesthesia-free pet dental cleanings, also called nonaesthetic dentistry.—
Jen Reeder,
Forbes.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Common topics of health misinformation include false claims about vaccines, promoting remedies that are not supported by science and undermining scientific understanding about the causes of different health issues.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One bill focuses on reducing construction costs by updating building codes.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
While these methods remain effective, excessive tilling can break down soil aggregates into smaller particles, reducing soil health and increasing erosion risk.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The classic pisco sour is unmissable, as is the island cocktail made with pisco, eucalyptus syrup, and wild murta, a local antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic berry used by indigenous communities in traditional medicine and food.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Mar. 2026
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Epibatidine intrigued researchers for decades and was once highly sought after as a potential analgesic many times more powerful than morphine.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic's showdown with the Pentagon this year left OpenAI looking like the bad guy, and just this week Bloomberg reported that demand is weakening for private shares of OpenAI in the secondary market.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But those safeguards appear to be weakening.—
Jennifer Elias,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At Source puts seven years of joint practice and mutual magnetism to tape without dulling the dynamic buzz of their live sets.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
2 Mar. 2026
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Also, don't store beans or ground coffee in the refrigerator—the coffee may absorb moisture and odors, dulling its flavor.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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It’s meant to be like soda — kind of empty pop calories — to lull you into the seemingly anodyne sounds of the Saja Boys.—
Charlie Harding,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
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Still, there are moments in this mostly anodyne recap when Liza — who turns 80 on March 12 and has fought a litany of health problems — lets loose.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Consideration for a draft would only begin after exhausting troops on the ground with the country's active-duty military personnel, such as full-time professional military, including National Guard and Reserves, and any volunteers or enlistees who join after the war begins.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
25 Mar. 2026
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In addition to exhausting reporters and scrambling the news cycle, episodes like this have fueled speculation that people close to the president are feeding off the chaos.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadening. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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