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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lobotomize
However, new safeguards quickly frustrated AI researchers, who accused the company of intentionally lobotomizing Fable 5.
—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
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
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lobotomize
Verb
-
Context that undermines sensational allegations is minimized.
-
Allies include Brin’s Building a Better California, which is bankrolling two counter-measures aimed at undermining the billionaire tax.
Verb
-
Earlier this month, on Monday, June 8, Municipal Court Judge Louis Sancinito found Lowe guilty of possessing the deer without a permit, interfering with a conservation officer attempting to confiscate the animal, and having Rudy illegally castrated.
-
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.
Verb
-
The flow of dark traffic is one of the factors that helped explain why oil markets had weakened significantly by early June, together with a surge in exports from the US and pullback in buying by China.
-
But as several surveys have consistently indicated, optimism about our country's outlook has undeniably weakened.
Verb
-
Conwell drained a three on his first shot but then missed six in a row, before hitting another three late in the third quarter.
-
The promotion dropped on Monday, June 29 and almost immediately, the original $150,000 budget allocated to the promotion was drained —covering some 25,000 pulls.
Verb
-
In the finals, Israel faced an Australian team already exhausted after fending off South Korea, Japan and Rhodesia (itself in the Asian tournament after being banned in Africa over its white governing regime).
-
For years, people have been frustrated and exhausted by the seemingly endless amount of swiping and small talk that go nowhere on dating apps.
Cite this Entry
“Lobotomize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lobotomize. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
