What does "mortify" mean?
To discipline (one's body, appetites etc.) by suppressing desires; to practise abstinence on.
Mortify
/ˈmoɹtɪfaɪ/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To discipline (one's body, appetites etc.) by suppressing desires; to practise abstinence on.
- Grammar: mortify is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: humiliate, necrose, subdue, abase.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, comfort, encourage.
- Usage evidence: Some people seek sainthood by mortifying the body.
How to use "mortify"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mortify" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mortify" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mortify" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mortify" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mortify" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "humiliate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To discipline (one's body, appetites etc.) by suppressing desires; to practise abstinence on. transitive
"Some people seek sainthood by mortifying the body."
- 2 undergo necrosis wordnet
- 3 To injure the dignity of; to embarrass; to humiliate. transitive, usually
"I was so mortified I could have died right there; instead I fainted, but I swore I'd never let that happen to me again."
- 4 cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of wordnet
- 5 To kill. obsolete, transitive
"The second Spring after transplanting, purge them of all superfluous shoots and scions, reserving only the most towardly for the future stem; this to be done yearly, as long as they continue in the nursery; and if of the principal stem so left, the frost mortifie any part, cut it off [...]"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 hold within limits and control wordnet
- 7 To reduce the potency of; to nullify; to deaden, neutralize. obsolete, transitive
"Soothly, the gode werkes, that he dide biforn that he fil in sinne, been al mortified and astoned and dulled by the ofte sinning."
- 8 practice self-denial of one's body and appetites wordnet
- 9 To affect with vexation or chagrin. transitive
"He seemed to enjoy mortifying them with news of every fresh hell loosed in the capital."
- 10 To scare. transitive
"Near-synonym: petrify"
- 11 To humble; to depress. obsolete, transitive
- 12 To grant in mortmain. historical, transitive
"the schoolmasters of Ayr were paid out of the mills mortified by Queen Mary"
- 13 To lose vitality. intransitive
"[...] Tis a pure ill-natur'd ſatisfaction to ſee one that was a beauty unfortunately move with the ſame languor, and ſoftneſs of behaviour, that once was charming in her—To ſee, I ſay, her mortify that us'd to kill [...]"
- 14 To kill off (living tissue etc.); to make necrotic. archaic, transitive
"Servius the Grammarian being troubled with the gowt, found no better meanes to be rid of it, than to apply poison to mortifie [translating tuer] his legs."
- 15 To gangrene. archaic, intransitive
"For the inducing of putrefaction, it were good to try it with flesh or fish exposed to the moonbeams; and again exposed to the air when the moon shineth not, for the like time: to see whether will corrupt sooner: and try it also with capon, or some other fowl, laid abroad, to see whether it will mortify and become tender sooner; try it also with dead flies, or dead worms, having a little water cast upon them, to see whether will putrefy sooner."
- 16 To be subdued. intransitive
"Trying to be kind and honest will require all his thoughts; a mortified appetite is never a wise companion; in so far as he has had to mortify an appetite, he will still be the worse man; and of such an one a great deal of cheerfulness will be required in judging life, and a great deal of humility in judging others."
Example
"Some people seek sainthood by mortifying the body."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mortify"?
Common synonyms include: humiliate, necrose, subdue, abase, abash, abstain.
How do you use "mortify" in a sentence?
Some people seek sainthood by mortifying the body.
How do you pronounce "mortify"?
Pronounced /ˈmoɹtɪfaɪ/.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman mortifier, Middle French mortifier, from Late Latin mortificō (“cause death”), from Latin mors (“death”) + -ficō (“-fy”).