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Glite Dictionary
to unman

to unman

1 8.8
To make someone lose courage or confidence
  • verb
  • /ʌnˈmæn/
translation icon : desanimar
  • The harsh criticism from his peers unmaned him, leaving him too afraid to speak in public again.

Examples

  • And stop saying "unman me."

    Blog text (5)

  • The shocking news about the accident unmaned her, making it difficult for her to concentrate on her work.

  • Whether it was magic or some unholy religion, it was almost enough to unman.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Pacifism and interplanetary law instead of global power, only serves to unman the people!

    The Secret of Karma (2020)

  • And she broke, but she still cried, so he says, "Look, Lily, "please don't cry," he says, "you'll unman me."

    Blood Freak (1972)

  • Marlowe moves in the direction of his world only in verbal and physical assaults designed to master the unending threat of a universe that unmans him by brutalizing him.

    Academic text (1995)

  • After losing the championship game, the defeat unmaned the entire team, causing them to doubt their skills.

Synonyms

to disempower
vsto unman
6 6.8

To make someone have less power or confidence to control their own life

makes someone feel weak and lacking courage rather than losing control
to unfix
vsto unman
9.1

Make someone feel upset and unable to think clearly

makes someone lose courage and strength rather than only unsettled feelings
to untune
vsto unman
  • Archaic
8.9

To make someone lose their calm and feel upset

affects bravery and sense of power rather than mere composure loss

Antonyms

to empower
157 4.2

Give someone the power and confidence to do something

Phrasal Verbs

to unman someone's facade
9.9

To make someone seem less brave by showing their fear

How Discouraged

to cow
17 8.3
to demoralize
33 6.1
to unman
1 8.8
to discourage
257 3.5
to unnerve
20 6.3
to unsettle
7 4.9
to shake
410 5.3

Surface Forms

unman infinitive
unmanned past
unmanned past participle
unmanning present participle
unmans third person singular

Morphology

unman = man (semi-transparent) = un + man

The prefix 'un-' suggests negation, but the specific sense of making someone feel weak or powerless is not a direct negation of the verb 'man'.

Etymology

Unman breaks into the parts un- meaning 'not' or 'reverse', like in undo, and man, which links to 'manly' or 'courage'. So, to unman someone is to take away their courage or strength and make them feel weak.