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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unman
Verb
  • Man paralyzed as a teen competes in his first marathon Mason Branstrator's life changed when he was paralyzed in a skiing accident at 17 years old.
    Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Cyber criminals use ransomware to paralyze computer networks and extort a payment.
    Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The richest, Elon Musk, has discouraged Republican members of Congress from supporting a bipartisan budget deal, which collapsed on Thursday.
    Ted Reed, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Ironically, Tom Holland and Zendaya were initially discouraged from exploring their chemistry off-screen.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • There is nothing frail or frightened about his Scrooge.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
  • The narrative arc of Ghosts follows a gentleman mysteriously endowed with supernatural abilities that frighten the residents of a phantom town.
    Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Republicans across the political spectrum were already frustrated with the bill.
    USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • The other side: The Colorado Cattlemen's Association is frustrated with the rollout and tone at the state level.
    John Frank, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • As a mother of three daughters, I am terrified by how this technology has been used to exploit teenagers.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
  • And Robert Zemeckis' 2009 take featuring Jim Carrey is noteworthy for a few reasons: Not only are the ghosts downright terrifying, but the animation style is also unsettling, and may scare you for all the wrong reasons.
    Huntley Woods, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Mike Myers looked back at his time on Saturday Night Live, revealing in a recent podcast that he was intimidated by how funny his costars were.
    Jessica Wang, EW.com, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Many of the weapons Reagan used to intimidate the Soviets—including the B-2 stealth bomber and the MX missile—were developed under Carter.
    Jonathan Alter, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The 2x Oscar nominee, who co-wrote and directed the 2005 Johnny Cash pic Walk the Line, has not been scared off from paying cinematic tribute to other legendary musicians after the parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2024
  • High prices could scare off would-be investors, but momentum abounds.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • 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
  • Alternately, this man is taking good care of the home and family for his suffragist wife, but he’s thus emasculated.
    Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 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.

Thesaurus Entries Near unman

Cite this Entry

“Unman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unman. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

  NODES