SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
emasculate
verb
To take away the strength, effectiveness, or power of something.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Remove strength or effectiveness
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topThis is the figurative sense. Weaken or undermine is often the clearest neutral alternative.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See emasculate in use
Removing the enforcement provisions would emasculate the proposed safeguard.
Removing every worked illustration would emasculate the catalog's teaching purpose by taking away the examples on which its explanations depend.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license