emasculate

[ verb ih-mas-kyuh-leyt; adjective ih-mas-kyuh-lit, -leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, e·mas·cu·lat·ed, e·mas·cu·lat·ing.

1. 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

2. 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.

3. to remove the testicles of; castrate.

adjective

1. deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.

emasculate

verb

1. to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld
2. to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc
3. botany to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding

adjective

1. castrated; gelded
2. deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc

Derived Forms

• eˈmasculative, adjective
• eˌmascuˈlation, noun
• eˈmascuˌlator, noun

Other Words From

• e·mas·cu·la·tion [ih-mas-ky, uh, -, ley, -sh, uh, n], noun
• e·mas·cu·la·tive adjective
• e·mas·cu·la·tor noun
• e·mas·cu·la·to·ry [ih-, mas, -ky, uh, -l, uh, -tawr-ee], adjective
• self-e·mas·cu·la·tion noun
• un·e·mas·cu·lat·ed adjective
• un·e·mas·cu·la·tive adjective
• un·e·mas·cu·la·to·ry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of emasculate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of emasculate¹

C17: from Latin ēmasculāre, from masculus male; see masculine

Example Sentences

So as Bennifer make their triumphant return, they’re no longer faced with a narrative in which cold, man-eating Lopez is emasculating and humiliating serious, respectable Affleck.

From Vox

America still struggles with the assumption that it’s emasculating for men to be with powerful women — even the jokes about Bill Clinton potentially becoming “first dude” in 2016 are testament to this fact.

From Vox

We will see Obama strategically and comically emasculate his political rivals.

From The Daily Beast

But executives have a lot to do with the larger agenda to emasculate and colonize.

From The Daily Beast

And it seemed like Nic was trying to emasculate and castrate this supposedly clichéd action hero.

From The Daily Beast

Then, by a curious contrivance, he made the fierce hunter emasculate himself.

From Project Gutenberg

This is an invitation to all who can to emasculate themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

We should be obliged to emasculate Socialism, to dilute it, in order to win a support of questionable value.

From Project Gutenberg

And, as with other masculine and muscular females, her progeny are neuter working-females (sterile) and emasculate males (drones).

From Project Gutenberg

Among decadent races and savages, the emasculate sons of deteriorate mothers assert their masculine authority otherwise.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• vitiate