Synonym Chooser

How does the verb unman differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of unman are emasculate, enervate, and unnerve. While all these words mean "to deprive of strength or vigor and the capacity for effective action," unman implies a loss of manly vigor, fortitude, or spirit.

a soldier unmanned by the terrors of battle

In what contexts can emasculate take the place of unman?

The words emasculate and unman are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, emasculate stresses a depriving of characteristic force by removing something essential.

an amendment that emasculates existing safeguards

Where would enervate be a reasonable alternative to unman?

The words enervate and unman can be used in similar contexts, but enervate suggests a gradual physical or moral weakening (as through luxury or indolence) until one is too feeble to make an effort.

a nation's youth enervated by affluence and leisure

When is it sensible to use unnerve instead of unman?

While in some cases nearly identical to unman, unnerve implies marked often temporary loss of courage, self-control, or power to act.

unnerved by the near collision

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unman
Verb
  • Soon, failure to hit your daily goals will sound much worse than any of the noise that used to paralyze you.
    Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The vote has thrown the House into disarray and paralyzed the chamber, leaving Johnson to find a way to break the impasse.
    Lauren Peller, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • All these incidents may have discouraged some potential Tesla buyers from going ahead with their purchases.
    Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Senior officials in the Newsom administration reportedly discouraged Democrats in the state’s legislature from introducing bills related to transgenderism weeks before the podcast aired.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • For the most part, yes, although children ages 8 and younger might be frightened by some of the action sequences.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Despite these protections on paper, permanent residents and visa-holders have been frightened by the speed and ferocity of the Trump administration’s crackdown and its bulldozing of due process rights, said Neil A. Weinrib, an immigration attorney for more than four decades.
    Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Although so highly esteemed, the notoriously taciturn director would often frustrate his colleagues by his reticence to explain his directorial intentions.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The team settled on a patient with SD Autism Spectrum disorder who had an ankle sprain but frustrated Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) with his endless questions.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Robbins’ parents were terrified that the school was using the laptop to spy on their son and other students (including their daughter Paige).
    Barry Levitt, Time, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The thought of dying without finding out what happened to her son terrifies Petrone.
    Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • And, Wright says, human therapists should not be intimidated by their AI counterparts.
    Katia Riddle, NPR, 7 Apr. 2025
  • For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft.
    Jordan Novet,Hayden Field, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As part of their efforts, the duo are trained to simply scare the animals off and run five to seven miles daily, rain or shine.
    Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Ant scare Anthony Edwards finished with a team-high 28 points on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting from the field.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • This is taking programs that people depend on to save lives and emasculating them.
    Selina Wang, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Only Adam is so emasculated by the stick, and Peter unwilling to do anything on the day’s shoot other than nod — as previously agreed — that the scene goes unshot.
    Jack King, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Unman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unman. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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