stultify

UK: /ˈstʌltɪˌfaɪ/ US: /ˈstʌltəˌfaɪ/ ,(stul′tə fī′)

Inflections of 'stultify' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

stultifies

v 3rd person singular

stultifying

v pres p

stultified

v past

stultified

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

stul•ti•fy /ˈstʌltəˌfaɪ/   v. [~ + object] , -fied, -fy•ing. 

1. to make (someone) feel dull because of some boring, repeating activity:
   felt stultified by his humdrum job.

stul•ti•fi•ca•tion /ˌstʌltəfəkeɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

stul•ti•fy  (stul′tə fī′), v.t., -fied, -fy•ing. 

1. to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous.
2. to render absurdly or wholly futile or ineffectual, esp. by degrading or frustrating means:
   Menial work can stultify the mind.
3. Law to allege or prove (oneself or another) to be of unsound mind.

• Late Latin stultificāre, equivalent. to Latin stult(us) stupid + -i- -i- + -ficāre -fy
• 1760–70

stul′ti•fi•ca′tion, n. 
stul′ti•fi′er, n. 
stul′ti•fy′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 2. cripple, impede, frustrate, hinder, thwart.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

stultify / ˈstʌltɪˌfaɪ/ verb ( -fies, -fying, -fied)(transitive)

1. to make useless, futile, or ineffectual, esp by routine
2. to cause to appear absurd or inconsistent

Etymology: 18th Century: from Latin stultus stupid + facere to make

ˌstultifiˈcation noun

ˈstultiˌfier noun