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
Relevance
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
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of deaden
Another method Tyler has had success with is using hearing aids not to amplify sound but to deaden it.
—
Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2024
The weight of responsibility is no longer about maintaining your soul while deadened by the granite-countertop heft of 2005’s suburban expectations.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024
The physicians had injected the woman’s arm with the anesthetic lidocaine—a dose strong enough to deaden her limb for surgery.
—Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
No one else had beached their boat and swam toward me as alpine runoff deadened their limbs.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deaden 
Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2024
The weight of responsibility is no longer about maintaining your soul while deadened by the granite-countertop heft of 2005’s suburban expectations.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024
The physicians had injected the woman’s arm with the anesthetic lidocaine—a dose strong enough to deaden her limb for surgery.
—Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
No one else had beached their boat and swam toward me as alpine runoff deadened their limbs.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deaden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deaden
Verb
-
The judge is going to go to work to try to undermine her in a number of ways.Angelique Jackson, Variety, 13 Dec. 2024
-
At the time, law enforcement officials emphasized that North Korea's hacking operations were primarily profit-driven—a stark contrast to nations like Russia, China and Iran, which typically focus on espionage, intellectual property theft or undermining democratic systems.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Surgery can benefit from real-time AI explanations and XR visualizations to reduce patient anxiety, while oncology can simplify complex treatment plans for better decision making.Alon Zuckerman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
-
Light pollution significantly reduces visibility of meteors.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
In addition, hiring has slowed a bit in recent months, raising the risk that the economy could weaken in the coming months.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Too much water can cause the fibers to weaken, become brittle, and break.Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The previous Traverse wasn't a sports car either, but the height and the width of the new SUV dull its road manners.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Tequila and heroin can only dull the pain for so long before Lee’s desperate yearning for something more cuts through the haze and sends him back out into dingy bars and narrow alleys, prowling with a predatory lust for men.David Opie, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
In the 1790s, after about a decade of loyal service, many members of the corps were physically exhausted by the demands of their duties.Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
-
The company’s demand for talent likely exceeded these annual totals, but Congress has set a yearly limit on H-1B petitions that employers have exhausted for the past two decades.Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Even as rain poured down on Manhattan last night, the festive atmosphere at the Metropolitan Museum of Art could not be dampened.Ian Malone, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2024
-
Yet that hasn’t dampened the confidence in the China entertainment market of IMAX China CEO Daniel Manwaring.Russell Flannery, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Gabriel stood awkwardly between the door and the back of a sofa, facing Thornton, and his calm drained away.Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
-
Keep in mind that this gearing will drain the battery more than when driven at slower city speeds.New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Climate change exacerbates the threats with rising temperatures disrupting migration patterns and diminishing the availability of milkweed, the monarch caterpillar's essential food source.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Helping to model that behavior and normalizing outreach for support is a great way to diminish the stigma.Subha Barry, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near deaden
Cite this Entry
“Deaden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deaden. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share