Meaning & use
emasculating
Last updated
Making someone feel less powerful or capable, often by undermining their authority or confidence.
See it in a sentence
He found the constant criticism from his boss deeply emasculating.
The committee's decision to overrule him in front of his staff was emasculating.
A note on using this word
Originally a literal term meaning 'to castrate,' but now used almost entirely in the figurative sense of undermining someone's sense of power; it can sound loaded or gendered, so use it carefully.
Words with a similar meaning
weakeningundermining
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
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