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abrutir

to stupefy, to dull the mind

verb ah-broo-TEER Rare

Also means

to wear out, exhaust

Usage Note

Abrutir comes from brute and carries a strong sense of reducing someone to a brutish state — through boredom, overwork, or noise. S'abrutir (reflexive) means to numb or dull oneself: s'abrutir devant la télé. The adjective abruti is a common mild insult meaning 'idiot'.

Examples

"Ce bruit constant finit par abrutir tout le monde."

Natural Translation

This constant noise ends up numbing everyone.

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