CAUTERIZE Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

cauterize

verb

ˈkȯ-tə-ˌrīz

Definition of cauterize

as in to reduce

to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling time had cauterized his bitterness, and he was willing to let bygones be bygones

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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 cauterize Altruism had drawn Welsh to medicine, but research, searching for a cure, had been the only salve that cauterized his bleeding heart. — Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 15 Mar. 2026 Department of Justice For years, the Firm, as the royal family is sometimes known, has attempted to cauterize the wound created by the Epstein scandal, taking steps to admonish Mountbatten-Windsor as more details about his relationship with Epstein emerged. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026 Why not cauterize a severed hand, add some just-for-fun cocktail rings, and then shatter the hand’s rigid bones with a hammer or mallet, which will allow the fingers to be wrapped around a colorful ceramic mug with a holly or mistletoe motif? — Paul Rudnick, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025 When Amy Adams’ Lois Lane is wounded in the Arctic while working on a story, the ever-ready hero emerges from nowhere, ready to cauterize her wound with his X-ray eyes. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cauterize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterize

Verb

Its movements and squeaks change in response to the person interacting with it, giving caregivers another way to reduce distress and encourage engagement.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
For instance, a creditor might bid $35,000 for a $50,000 SUV, reducing the judgment by that amount, then sell it for $50,000, pocketing $15,000.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

The defeat blunted Baltimore's bid to make some progress in the crowded race for the final AL wild-card spot.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Regional tensions flare as Israel carries out drone and airstrikes in Syria and Gaza, while France and Saudi Arabia explore alternate energy routes bypassing Hormuz to blunt the risk of further disruption.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of blunt

Verb

Too much intention, too much Trying to Say, too much overarching metaphor, can deaden your work.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of deaden

Verb

For Alex’s family, those seven months have done little to dull the anguish over what happened to him — or their determination to see the two officers who fired the shots held responsible.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
The sparkle in her eyes had dulled and her smile seemed forced.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of dull

Verb

At least one expert said that some workers could have access to oxygen, but others warned that the chances of finding survivors were diminishing.

— Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Violence diminishes its victims, forcing everyone to play a single thankless role.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of diminish

Verb

What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.

— Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.

— GEORGE PROCHNIK, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018

Definition of benumb

Verb

Even if Korea can maintain 2% economic growth over the next two decades, consumption growth gradually weakens and eventually turns negative, according to Goldman’s long-term modeling.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Riggs said the Teamsters’ safety argument is weakened by the inconsistent safety record of human truck drivers, who have fallen asleep at the wheel or driven while distracted or otherwise impaired.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of weaken

Browse Nearby Words

caustically

cauterize

cauterized

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“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterize. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cauterize

verb

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