stultify

Verb

1. prove to be of unsound mind or demonstrate someone’s incompetence; “nobody is legally allowed to stultify himself”
   • Less specific
     • prove
     • demonstrate
     • establish
     • show
     • shew
   • Related
     • stultification
     • befooling
   • Topic Members
     • law
     • jurisprudence
2. cause to appear foolish; “He stultified himself by contradicting himself and being inconsistent”
   • Less specific
     • ridicule
     • roast
     • guy
     • blackguard
     • laugh at
     • jest at
     • rib
     • make fun
     • poke fun
   • Related
     • stultification
     • befooling
3. deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless; “This measure crippled our efforts”; “Their behavior stultified the boss’s hard work”
   • Synonyms
     • cripple
   • Less specific
     • weaken

stultify - LookUp

stultified

1. cause to lose enthusiasm and initiative, especially as a result of a tedious or restrictive routine he found ways of gently subverting the class system that stultified 1950s English society

2. dated cause (someone) to appear foolish or absurd

Origin

mid 18th century : from late Latin stultificare , from Latin stultus foolish

Thesaurus

Verb

1. free market forces had been stultified by the welfare state

Similar Words: hamper impede obstruct thwart frustrate foil suppress smother repress

1. he stultifies her with too much gentleness

Similar Words: bore make bored dull numb benumb stupefy deaden bore rigid bore stupid bore to death hebetate

Opposites: excite