stultify
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Stultify — Stul ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Stultified}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Stultifying}.] [L. stultus foolish + fy.] 1. To make foolish; to make a fool of; as, to stultify one by imposition; to stultify one s self by silly reasoning or conduct. Burke. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
stultify — 1766, allege to be of unsound mind (legal term), from L.L. stultificare turn into foolishness, from L. stultus foolish + root of facere to make (see FACTITIOUS (Cf. factitious)). The first element is cognate with L. stolidus slow, dull, obtuse… … Etymology dictionary
stultify — ► VERB (stultifies, stultified) 1) (usu. as adj. stultifying) cause to feel bored or drained of energy. 2) cause to appear foolish or absurd. DERIVATIVES stultification noun. ORIGIN Latin stultificare, from s … English terms dictionary
stultify — [stul′tə fī΄] vt. stultified, stultifying [LL stultificare < L stultus, foolish, akin to stolidus,STOLID + facere, to make, DO1] 1. a) to make seem foolish, stupid, inconsistent, etc.; make absurd or ridiculous b) to make dull or torpid … English World dictionary
stultify — stultification, n. stultifier, n. stultifyingly, adv. /stul teuh fuy /, v.t., stultified, stultifying. 1. to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous. 2. to render absurdly or wholly futile or ineffectual, esp. by degrading or frustrating… … Universalium
stultify — To plead one s own insanity or other want of capacity, in his own suit to set aside his own deed or other contract, or in an action against him to enforce the contract. The ancient rule that a man shall not stultify himself is no longer law… … Ballentine's law dictionary
stultify — transitive verb ( fied; fying) Etymology: Late Latin stultificare to make foolish, from Latin stultus foolish; akin to Latin stolidus stolid Date: 1737 1. archaic to allege or prove to be of unsound mind and hence not responsible 2. to cause to… … New Collegiate Dictionary
stultify — verb /ˈstʌltɪfaɪ,ˈstʌltəfaɪ/ a) To prove to be of unsound mind or demonstrate someones incompetence. b) To cause to appear foolish. Syn: humiliate … Wiktionary
stultify — Synonyms and related words: annul, asphyxiate, befool, bottle up, bring to nothing, buffer, cancel, cancel out, censor, check, choke off, clamp down on, come to nothing, constipate, cork, cork up, counterbalance, crack down on, crush, damp down,… … Moby Thesaurus
stultify — (Roget s IV) v. 1. [To ridicule] Syn. make a fool of, make ridiculous, make absurd, mock; see ridicule . 2. [To inhibit] Syn. smother, stifle, suffocate, have a dulling effect on, negate; see also hinder … English dictionary for students
