noun
lobotomy
luh-BO-tuh-mee
Lobotomy (noun) means a now largely abandoned brain surgery that severs connections in the frontal lobe, once used to treat severe mental illness. Example: “The hospital performed lobotomies routinely in the 1950s before the practice fell out of favor.”
noun
1
A now largely abandoned brain surgery that severs connections in the frontal lobe, once used to treat severe mental illness.
"The hospital performed lobotomies routinely in the 1950s before the practice fell out of favor."
"Old psychiatric hospitals are even more frightening. They existed at a time in history when shock therapy, brain tissue manipulation, implants, drug experimentation and lobotomies were treatments de jour."
— Julie Albrecht Royce, Ghosts and Monsters of Lake Michigan—Haunting and Stalking the Sunset Coast (2007)
2
Figuratively, the removal or numbing of a capacity for thought or feeling.
"Watching reality TV for hours felt like a lobotomy."
How to use lobotomy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA discredited brain operation once used to treat mental illness; loosely, anything that seems to switch off critical thinking.
When to use it
The figurative sense ("it felt like a lobotomy") is informal and often used humorously or critically.
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like lobotomy.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- lobotomies
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Watching reality TV for hours felt like a _____.
Etymology
From lobe + -otomy, a suffix meaning "a cutting into", as in "tonsillotomy".
Synonyms
View more →
leukotomy
leucotomy
frontal lobotomy
prefrontal lobotomy
prefrontal leukotomy
prefrontal leucotomy
Rhymes for lobotomy
roomy
gloomy
sodomy
economy
anatomy
taxonomy
antinomy
autotomy
autonomy
dichotomy
astronomy
colostomy
See all rhymes for lobotomy →
Frequently asked questions
What does “lobotomy” mean?
The word “lobotomy” means a now largely abandoned brain surgery that severs connections in the frontal lobe, once used to treat severe mental illness. In plain terms, a discredited brain operation once used to treat mental illness; loosely, anything that seems to switch off critical thinking.
How do you pronounce “lobotomy”?
“Lobotomy” is pronounced luh-BO-tuh-mee (/ləˈbɑtəmi/ in IPA).
How do you use “lobotomy” in a sentence?
Here is “lobotomy” used in a sentence: “Watching reality TV for hours felt like a lobotomy.”
What part of speech is “lobotomy”?
“Lobotomy” is a noun.
How many meanings does “lobotomy” have?
“Lobotomy” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a now largely abandoned brain surgery that severs connections in the frontal lobe, once used to treat severe mental illness.
