lobotomize

[ luh-bot-uh-mahyz, loh- ]

verb (used with object)

, lo·bot·o·mized, lo·bot·o·miz·ing.

1. to perform a lobotomy on.
2. to make (someone or something) abnormally tranquil or sluggish.

Other Words From

• lo·boto·mist noun
• lo·boto·mi·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lobotomize¹

First recorded in 1940–45; lobotom(y) + -ize

Example Sentences

Maybe it would place every human being in suspended animation, or lobotomize us all, or use invasive mind-control technologies to control our behaviors.

From Salon

She wanted to lobotomize him and “stuff his brain with red peppers.”

From New York Times

Asking you to triangulate between today's Democrats and today's Republicans is effectively asking you to lobotomize yourself.

From Salon

They were told that they would each be playing the part of a futuristic criminal who had been lobotomized and summoned to help investigators identify two bodies discovered on the grounds.

From New York Times

The series discusses JFK’s womanizing, the disastrous decision to lobotomize the young Rosemary Kennedy and, in a later episode, Ted Kennedy’s involvement in a deadly car accident in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts.

From Washington Times