What does mutilate mean?
Mutilate is a strong verb meaning to inflict serious bodily injury, usually by cutting off or damaging a limb, and also to severely damage or deform an object. Its use carries a distinctly violent and disturbing implication because the damage is typically permanent and highly visible. The word can describe the treatment of people or animals, as in a report that an animal was found mutilated, but it also extends metaphorically to actions that ruin the form, meaning, or usefulness of something, such as badly mangled text. In journalism and legal contexts, it is used for particularly severe injuries or deliberate acts of physical destruction. Mutilate is more forceful than damage or injure and is not an appropriate general term for ordinary wear and tear.
verbTo inflict serious injury on a person or animal, typically by cutting off or damaging a part of the body. It can also mean to damage something so badly that its essential parts or original form are impaired.
- To seriously injure or disfigure a person or animal by cutting off or damaging a body part.
- To damage or deform something so severely that its original character or usefulness is destroyed.
"The severe frost mutilated several of the plants in the garden."
"The witness said that the animal had been mutilated before it was found."
"Careless editing mutilated the original text and made the quotation difficult to understand."
From a Latin word associated with the cutting off of limbs, mutilate carries the stark implication of damage that permanently alters the form or function of its object.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mutilate come from?
The verb comes from the Latin mutilare, meaning to cut off or maim, which was based on mutilus, an adjective associated with being maimed or defective. English borrowed the word in the early 17th century in the sense of physically maiming a person or animal. Later, it was extended figuratively to describe severe damage to objects, texts, and other things.
Related word forms
How mutilate is actually used
The word is serious and often suggests permanent, grotesque, or severe damage. It is more commonly used for violent injury to people or animals and for severe damage to objects, buildings, or texts than for ordinary wear or minor damage.
Easily confused with mutilate
Mutilate is the verb describing the act of injuring or disfiguring someone or something, while maimed describes the resulting injured condition.