EMASCULATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does emasculate mean? 

• EMASCULATE (adjective)
  The adjective EMASCULATE has 1 sense:

1. having unsuitable feminine qualities

  Familiarity information: EMASCULATE used as an adjective is very rare.

• EMASCULATE (verb)
  The verb EMASCULATE has 2 senses:

1. deprive of strength or vigor

2. remove the testicles of a male animal

  Familiarity information: EMASCULATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EMASCULATE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having unsuitable feminine qualities

Synonyms:

cissy; effeminate; emasculate; epicene; sissified; sissy; sissyish

Similar:

unmanful; unmanlike; unmanly (not possessing qualities befitting a man)

• EMASCULATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they emasculate    ... he / she / it emasculates   
Past simple: emasculated   
Past participle: emasculated   
-ing form: emasculating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Deprive of strength or vigor

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

castrate; emasculate

Context example:

The Senate emasculated the law

Hypernyms (to "emasculate" is one way to...):

weaken (lessen the strength of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

emasculation (loss of power and masculinity)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Remove the testicles of a male animal

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

castrate; demasculinise; demasculinize; emasculate

Hypernyms (to "emasculate" is one way to...):

desex; desexualise; desexualize; fix; sterilise; sterilize; unsex (make infertile)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "emasculate"):

caponise; caponize (convert a cock into a capon)

cut; geld (cut off the testicles (of male animals such as horses))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

emasculation (neutering a male animal by removing the testicles)

 Context examples 

I mean to tell you that it is you who are suffering from the emasculating ravages of that same microbe.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)