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

This allows Vestas to standardize its construction processes, lower costs, and reduce defects.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
This reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and turned soil into the first terrestrial carbon sinks.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

The tension of Noah’s character, which Lanterns presents as a parallel to John’s, is immediately blunted by the show’s need to soften and resolve everything left uncertain in John’s.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
At this point, Trump has relatively few options available to blunt new price shocks, the effects of which may be visible not just at the pump but also at the ballot box.

— Greg Pollock, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of blunt

Verb

Inside the cabin, extensive additional sound deadening in the doors, trunk and wheel arches means phone calls and passenger conversations are entirely effortless at highway speeds.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Too much intention, too much Trying to Say, too much overarching metaphor, can deaden your work.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of deaden

Verb

None of this ever accumulates much weight, however, since the conflicts are all dulled by the one-note absurdity of the farcical plotting.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Eyesafe technology cuts blue light without dulling the color, which is easier on your eyes during long work days.

— Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of dull

Verb

When every decision requires multiple levels of authorization, ownership naturally diminishes.

— Guy Yehiav, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
And where does the water come from for these 10 new cities as the West scrambles for what’s left of diminishing supplies?

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 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

Fink said the churn weakens the tie between a worker and an employer.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Other potential causes are higher rates of chronic stress, depression and anxiety, as well as autoimmune diseases, which weaken the immune system, Curhan said.

— Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cauterize

verb

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