eviscerate

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "eviscerate" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used as a verb meaning to remove or take something out, or to figuratively strip it from something. Example sentence: The committee eviscerated the old policy, replacing it with a new one.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

These groups were also fooled into believing that the huge financial benefits accrued from the implicit government guarantee enjoyed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, its smaller sibling, flowed mostly to their borrowers, not to their managers and shareholders.The second task, say the authors, was to eviscerate regulators.

The Economist

So long as Bashar Assad remains free to kill with impunity, the slaughter will devour Syria and its people, sectarian hatred will eviscerate the country and its institutions and Syria's poison will spread across the Middle East.

The Economist

Developing countries have an extra loophole for "special" products, for example to protect the livelihoods of subsistence farmers.Some countries want enough exceptions to eviscerate the proposals almost completely.

The Economist

A holding to the contrary that a for-profit corporation can engage in religious exercise would eviscerate the fundamental principle that a corporation is a legally distinct entity from its owners...Earlier in the opinion, Judge Robert Cowen of the third circuit wrote, "Since Conestoga is distinct from the Hahns, the Mandate does not actually require the Hahns to do anything.

The Economist

For tortoise soup, take one reptile, eviscerate, remove skin and all fat, remove shell.

The Economist

At worst, national governments manage to eviscerate reforms altogether.

The Economist

Ms Vescovo, who argues that California's payment cuts would eviscerate her clients' access to services, worries that under managed care the disabled might not be able to see the specialists they need.The question is how to supervise the experiments with managed care that are being carried out in various states.

The Economist

The Munich agreement with Hitler to eviscerate Czechoslovakia is one (which the article mentioned); the deportation of Cossacks and other anti-Soviet forces to certain death after the war in Operation Keelhaul is another.

The Economist

In a protracted program against the Black Panther Party, COINTELPRO used agent provocateurs, sabotage, misinformation, and lethal force to eviscerate the national organization.

Encyclopedia Britannica

GBH managed simultaneously to satirise and eviscerate MI5, the Conservative Party, the right-wing press, and the less mentally grounded elements of Labour's support.

Independent

Leaving behind my regular work, waving goodbye to my fiancée, travelling 5,000 miles to this most remote of places, camping out for the first time and barely controlling a constant, nagging terror of things that could maul, bite, eviscerate, sting, scratch or poison, seemed, at the time, perfectly normal.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "eviscerate" when you want to convey a forceful removal or destruction, whether physical or figurative. It's stronger than simply 'remove' or 'weaken'.

Common error

Avoid using "eviscerate" in casual conversation or informal writing. It's a strong term that can sound overly dramatic in everyday contexts.

Linguistic Context

The verb "eviscerate" functions primarily to describe the act of removing or destroying something essential. Ludwig AI confirms its typical usage as a verb. Examples show it used both literally (removing organs) and figuratively (destroying policies or reputations).

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

74%

Encyclopedias

8%

The New Yorker

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

1%

Science

1%

Independent

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "eviscerate" is a verb that means to disembowel, remove the viscera, or, figuratively, to destroy or make ineffectual. Ludwig AI confirms it as grammatically correct and frequently used in written English. It appears most commonly in News & Media sources like The New York Times and The Economist, and Encyclopedia Britannica. Its purpose is to convey a forceful act of removal or destruction. Related terms include "gut", "excise", and "undermine". When using "eviscerate", consider the context and avoid overuse in casual settings. Ensure the dramatic strength suits the tone and intent of your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

gut

Implies removing essential parts, similar to "eviscerate" but can be less formal.

excise

Focuses on surgically removing something, sharing the physical removal aspect of "eviscerate".

deplete

Refers to significantly reducing or exhausting something, akin to "eviscerate" in weakening terms.

nullify

Means to make something invalid or ineffective, aligning with the sense of "eviscerate" in rendering something powerless.

cripple

Suggests severely damaging or weakening, similar to "eviscerate" in its destructive impact.

weaken

Indicates a reduction in strength or effectiveness, sharing the weakening connotation of "eviscerate".

undermine

Implies gradually weakening something, echoing the destructive aspect of "eviscerate".

dismantle

Focuses on taking something apart piece by piece, which can be a form of "eviscerate".

abolish

Means to formally put an end to something, which is a consequence of "eviscerate" in certain contexts.

demolish

Indicates completely destroying something, resonating with the extreme removal sense of "eviscerate".

FAQs

How to use "eviscerate" in a sentence?

"Eviscerate" can be used to describe the removal of internal organs or, figuratively, to describe the destruction or weakening of something. For example, "The new policy will "eviscerate the existing regulations"".

What can I say instead of "eviscerate"?

You can use alternatives like "gut", "excise", or "undermine" depending on the specific context.

Which is correct, "eviscerate the plan" or "eviscerate at the plan"?

The correct phrase is "eviscerate the plan". "Eviscerate" is a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object. The preposition "at" is not needed or correct in this context.

What's the difference between "eviscerate" and "undermine"?

"Eviscerate" implies a more complete and forceful destruction or removal, while "undermine" suggests a gradual weakening or subversion. "Eviscerate" is thus more dramatic and impactful.