What does "mutilate" mean?
Something that has been mutilated.
Mutilate
/ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that has been mutilated.
- Grammar: mutilate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: maim, mangle, abrade, abscind.
- Useful contrasts: cure, emend, heal.
- Usage evidence: Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again.
How to use "mutilate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mutilate" 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 "mutilate" 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 "mutilate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mutilate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- 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 "mutilate" is acting as adj, noun, 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 "maim" 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.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mutilate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
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
Noun
- 1 Something that has been mutilated.
Verb
- 1 To physically harm as to impair use, notably by cutting off or otherwise disabling a vital part, such as a limb.
"mutilated currency"
- 2 destroy or injure severely wordnet
- 3 To destroy beyond recognition.
- 4 damage or injure severely wordnet
- 5 To render imperfect or defective. figuratively
"For two reasons then it is right to be content with that which happens to thee; the one, because it was done for thee and prescribed for thee, and in a manner had reference to thee, originally from the most ancient causes spun with thy destiny; and the other, because even that which comes severally to every man is to the power which administers the universe a cause of felicity and perfection, nay even of its very continuance. For the integrity of the whole is mutilated, if thou cuttest off anything whatever from the conjunction and the continuity either of the parts or of the causes. And thou dost cut off, as far as it is in thy power, when thou art dissatisfied, and in a manner triest to put anything out of the way."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 alter so as to make unrecognizable wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Deprived of, or having lost, an important part; mutilated. not-comparable, obsolete
"mutilate and semi-bodies"
- 2 Having fin-like appendages or flukes instead of legs, like a cetacean does. archaic, not-comparable
Example
"Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mutilate"?
Common synonyms include: maim, mangle, abrade, abscind, alter, alter.
How do you use "mutilate" in a sentence?
Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again.
How do you pronounce "mutilate"?
Pronounced /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin mutilātus, the perfect passive participle of mutilō (“to mutilate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), itself from mutilus (“maimed”).