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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Recent Examples of cauterize
For patients deemed female, excess flesh could be cut away, and for patients deemed male, the vulva could be cauterized to close it.
—
Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2025
This brought to mind a discovery made by Ambroise Paré.
Paré, who lived from 1510 to 1590, worked on the battlefields of France, and was taught to cauterize gunshot wounds with boiling oil.
—The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
All of his attempts to cut away his past, to cauterize himself and separate himself from it, would fail.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2024
Two arms tipped with multiple tools can perforate gastric ulcers, cauterize and suture wounds, or perform emergency appendectomies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Apr. 2014
See All Example Sentences for cauterize
Sarah Barringer, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2025
This brought to mind a discovery made by Ambroise Paré.
Paré, who lived from 1510 to 1590, worked on the battlefields of France, and was taught to cauterize gunshot wounds with boiling oil.
—The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
All of his attempts to cut away his past, to cauterize himself and separate himself from it, would fail.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2024
Two arms tipped with multiple tools can perforate gastric ulcers, cauterize and suture wounds, or perform emergency appendectomies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Apr. 2014
See All Example Sentences for cauterize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cauterize
Verb
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As part of a plea agreement, the murder charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, and the remaining charges were dismissed.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
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Additional heavy rainfall is possible beyond Saturday; however, uncertainty in Melissa's track and forward speed reduces confidence in exact totals.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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County officials are asking voters to approve a sales tax increase, Measure A, to blunt the fiscal impact.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
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Her election may also blunt the rise of Sanseito, a right-wing populist party that surged in July on an anti-immigration platform.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Rather than slash and swing away after spotting the play, Stott tried to get the ball down and deaden it, increasing the level of difficulty.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Now, Sora 2 might just be another online fad, a reality-deadening distraction that people will soon tire of.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hesse is starting to lose his vision — a reality that a man who spent his life looking through a camera is unwilling to accept just yet — but his passion for filmmaking hasn’t dulled in the slightest.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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Tools meant to make life easier can sometimes dull our sensitivity and sense of self.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Adopting China’s position in this way would be a blunder, diminishing Taiwan’s resolve to resist Chinese aggression and coercion.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
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Social media feeds can lead people toward the dark side with negative content or content that can diminish self-esteem.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
23 May 2023
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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
Verb
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Losing him for the entire World Series would weaken their already-thin bullpen, and force Roberts to get creative in high-leverage situations after his starting pitcher has been removed.—
Jon Paul Hoornstra,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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After accounting for lifestyle variables like exercise, the effects weakened a bit as, for example, more active people tend to spend more time outdoors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cauterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cauterize. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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