1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
an excess of detail deadens much of the mystery novel's suspense
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a couple of aspirins deadened the headache
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deaden
Lightweight glass, a reduction of sound-deadening materials, and the marginally lighter 6-speed manual gearbox help the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T Cabriolet weigh 3,505 pounds—the company's lightest manual open-roof variant.
—
Michael Harley, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
In times of intensifying economic inequality, when many of the jobs on offer are precarious, underpaid, and spiritually deadening, the prospect of becoming your own boss holds a lot of appeal.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
How the pulse deadens at the prospect.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
The cabin should be quiet thanks to the sound-deadening acoustic front and side glass.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deaden
Michael Harley, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
In times of intensifying economic inequality, when many of the jobs on offer are precarious, underpaid, and spiritually deadening, the prospect of becoming your own boss holds a lot of appeal.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
How the pulse deadens at the prospect.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
The cabin should be quiet thanks to the sound-deadening acoustic front and side glass.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deaden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deaden
Verb
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Overemphasizing uncertainties can be used to raise doubt and unduly undermine confidence in robust findings.—
H. Christopher Frey,
The Conversation,
5 June 2025
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The voucher program, which provides tax money to help pay for private and parochial school tuition, has undermined public education.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Verb
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These products can also cause buildup and dull your hair.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
26 May 2025
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The edge gap is the widening space between marketing strategies that sharpen a brand’s competitive edge and those dulled by algorithmic automation, uniform targeting and the rinse-and-repeat logic of platform and industry best practice.—
Liam Wade,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The visa expired in February 2023, but Soliman has not exhausted legal efforts to remain in the U.S., according to NBC.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
3 June 2025
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The object could be a white dwarf—an Earth-sized husk that remains after a star has exhausted its nuclear fuel.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Freshman Matthew Smith, who joined the club last fall, did not let being in the water dampen his enthusiasm for sailing.—
Susan DeGrane,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
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If the courts are permanently enacted, staff will look into adding additional measures including sound dampening panels, painting new parking stalls away from the neighborhood and painting a red curb for emergency vehicle parking.—
Stephanie Lam,
Mercury News,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of the skull, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2025
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Preventative measures There are ways to avoid such a financially and emotionally draining situation.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Augmenting Human Relationships with AI AI's role in enhancing efficiency does not diminish the need for human expertise in B2B interactions.—
John Bruno,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The 25-year-old’s sample might be small, but in an era of diminishing workloads, Zack Wheeler and Max Fried are the only current starters averaging 6 1/3 innings.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deaden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deaden. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
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