What does lacerate mean?
Lacerate means to tear or cut something deeply, usually with considerable force and often causing a ragged injury. The word is especially associated with damage to flesh or skin, where it can describe the painful result of an accident, assault, or violent impact. Its figurative use is equally forceful: a newspaper account, investigation, or scandal may lacerate someone's reputation by revealing damaging information or undermining their credibility. The verb belongs to formal and often literary registers, and it is more severe than ordinary words such as cut or hurt. In medical writing, a laceration is a wound whose irregular edges indicate that the tissue has been torn rather than cleanly cut. Lacerate is therefore useful not only for describing physical injury but also for conveying the idea of intense, damaging exposure.
verbTo tear or cut deeply, especially flesh or skin, with roughness or violence. It can also mean to criticize or damage something severely, such as a reputation.
- To tear or cut deeply, especially flesh or skin, with roughness or violence.
- To criticize, attack, or damage something severely, especially a reputation or credibility.
"The shattered glass lacerated his hand as he reached across the counter."
"The blade lacerated the animal's leg, leaving a deep, bleeding wound."
"The investigation lacerated the politician's reputation, exposing inconsistencies in his account."
Lacerate combines the image of a violent tear with a medical precision that makes even gruesome injuries sound almost clinical.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lacerate come from?
The English word comes from Latin lacerāre, “to tear,” related to lacer, meaning torn or ripped. Its history is ultimately connected with the family of Latin words associated with tears, including lacrima, “tear,” which underlies English forms such as lacrimal and lachrymose. English adopted the verb in the early 17th century, initially in contexts involving violent tearing and later also in figurative descriptions of criticism and reputational damage.
Related word forms
How lacerate is actually used
Lacerate is formal and somewhat intense. In medical contexts it describes a wound caused by a rough or violent cut; in figurative use it suggests severe criticism or damage.
Easily confused with lacerate
Lacerate means to tear or rip violently, whereas macerate usually means to soak or soften something in liquid.