What does "lobotomy" mean?

A surgical operation on the frontal lobe of the brain intent on treating certain mental illnesses.

How do you pronounce "lobotomy"?

Pronounced //ləˈbɑː.tə.mi//.

Common synonyms include: leucotomy, amygdalotomy, ankylotomy, arteriotomy, blepharotomy, caesarean.

//ləˈbɑː.tə.mi// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A surgical operation on the frontal lobe of the brain intent on treating certain mental illnesses. countable, uncountable
"They existed at a time in history when shock therapy, brain tissue manipulation, implants, drug experimentation and lobotomies were treatments de jour."
2
surgical interruption of nerve tracts to and from the frontal lobe of the brain; often results in marked cognitive and personality changes wordnet
3
The severing of the prefrontal cortex from the thalamic region of the brain. countable, uncountable
4
The severing of the sympathetic nerve trunk. countable, uncountable
5
Separation, removal or deprivation. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Yet this conscience is a deep part of the soul; to silence it, characters must perform a kind of moral lobotomy, excising the best parts of themselves, until what is left becomes less than human."

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."

From lobe + -otomy.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.