emasculate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to deprive of strength; weaken.
The law was emasculated by its opponents, making it largely ineffective by the time it was passed.
- Synonyms:
- soften, devitalize, undermine, debilitate
-
to make (a man) feel less masculine.
Though some men might feel emasculated not making an income, I'm very happy as a stay-at-home father.
-
to remove the testicles of; castrate.
adjective
-
deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.
verb
-
to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld
-
to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc
-
botany to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding
adjective
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castrated; gelded
-
deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc
Other Word Forms
- emasculation noun
- emasculative adjective
- emasculator noun
- emasculatory adjective
- self-emasculation noun
- unemasculated adjective
- unemasculative adjective
- unemasculatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of emasculate
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre ), equivalent to ē- “from”+ māscul(us) “male” + -ātus adjective suffix; e- 1, male, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That dynamic was taboo for generations of Americans who feared it might emasculate men and ruin couples’ romantic lives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 27, 2025
Ben Berman, a New York City vegan who began a serious weightlifting regimen last year, said he's trying to reappropriate the epithet "soy boy," historically used to emasculate vegan and vegetarian men.
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024
The British attempted to correct the problem by using another lubricant, but Indian troops remained suspicious and some began to believe the British were intentionally using lubricants made of offensive materials to emasculate the sepoys.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
When Martha calls in the local vet to fix some of the tomcats hanging around, Ernest accuses her of trying to emasculate him.
From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2018
I purchased, too, photographs of Oscar Wilde, scrutinizing them under the unctuous auspices of this same emasculate and blandiloquent mentor.
From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 Sexual Inversion by Ellis, Havelock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.