to puncture
6
6.7
- verb
- /ˈpʌŋk.tʃɚ/
:
herir la autoestima
- But surprisingly, it's easier to puncture these intuitions or to shake them up than you might think.
That is a very puncturing question, right?
- That is a very puncturing question, right?
- Many of Astor's views will one day puncture her liberal legacy.
- They will get angry at you just for being realistic and for puncturing their denial.
- So I always kind of welcome those humbling things, the things that sort of puncture the ego.
- So when people shut their ears and can't allow their precious world views to be punctured, that qualifies to me as an abandonment.
- So when people shut their ears and can't allow their precious worldviews to be punctured, that qualifies to me as an abandonment.
- Could you talk a little bit about why and how you decided to use data to help kind of puncture through the denialism and the obstruction?
Examples
-
But when one of those big perceptions gets punctured, then it steadily fades, as it is doing.
Blog text (10) -
So I always kind of welcome those humbling things, the things that sort of puncture the ego.
-
Knowledge of history can help puncture the pretensions of those who claim to have discovered the newest education mousetrap.
Academic text (1997) -
They will get angry at you just for being realistic and for puncturing their denial.
-
The early euphoria over the efficacy of sanctions was rapidly punctured.
Academic text (1999) -
The sudden criticism from her colleague punctured her confidence during the presentation.
-
He always found ways to puncture his friends' inflated egos with jokes.
-
The unexpected failure punctured his sense of importance in the team.
Synonyms
20
4.6
To make someone feel less confident or important
4
6.0
To slowly make someone lose belief in their own ability
3
7.6
Make someone feel less proud by criticizing or embarrassing them
Tell someone that something they hoped for is not true
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
5
5.3
A way doctors remove fluid from the lower spine to test or treat brain and nerve problems
- Specialized
A medical procedure that takes fluid from the lower spine for tests or treatment
How Damaging
48
4.6
- Informal
557
1.7
6
6.7
- Informal
33
4.2
16
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
puncture = punct + ure
This sense is a metaphorical extension of the literal 'pierce/deflate' sense (e.g., puncture a tire), so learners may be able to infer 'weaken or deflate confidence' from the base meaning even though the root form is not a familiar standalone word.
Etymology
The figurative use of puncture comes from the same root pungere 'to prick', and a helpful image is a burst balloon: to puncture someone's confidence is to 'let the air out' of their pride.