Use mutilate for severe, disfiguring physical injury, especially the removal or destruction of body parts. It is stronger and more graphic than 'injure' or 'wound', implying lasting disfigurement. Use carefully in journalism and medical writing.
Use mutilate for severe, disfiguring physical injury, especially the removal or destruction of body parts. It is stronger and more graphic than 'injure' or 'wound', implying lasting disfigurement. Use carefully in journalism and medical writing.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The soldier was mutilated in the leg. | The soldier was wounded in the leg. (mutilate implies severe disfigurement, not a simple wound) |
| The surgeon mutilated the limb. | The surgeon amputated the limb. (amputation is a controlled medical procedure, not mutilation) |
The figurative mutilate is effective for conveying that an edit, act of vandalism, or poor handling has destroyed the essential quality of something: 'the film mutilated the original novel'. It implies that what remains is a damaged ruin of the original.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The editor mutilated the article by fixing a few typos. | The editor mutilated the article by cutting the entire argument from the second half. |
Use mutilate for severe, disfiguring damage — either physical (cutting off limbs) or figurative (destroying the integrity of a text or object). It is stronger than 'damage' or 'injure' and implies permanent, grave harm. Do not use it for minor damage.
Do not use mutilate as a synonym for ordinary wounding or simple damage — it implies permanent disfigurement or destruction. In a surgical context, use amputate, not mutilate. In editorial contexts, only use mutilate for severe, character-destroying changes.
From Latin mutilare ('to cut off, maim'), derived from mutilus ('cut short, lopped, maimed'). Cognate with Greek mytilos (a type of mussel, possibly from its lopped or truncated form). The word entered English in the 16th century, first in the physical sense; the figurative sense of damaging texts or artworks developed shortly thereafter.
What does mutilate mean?
Mutilate means to inflict severe, disfiguring injury — especially by cutting off or destroying a body part. Figuratively, it means to damage an object, text, or work of art so severely that its form or meaning is destroyed.
What is the difference between mutilate and maim?
Both refer to severe physical injury, but maim specifically means to permanently disable or impair a limb or faculty. Mutilate emphasises disfigurement and the removal or destruction of body parts. Mutilate is generally the more graphic and extreme term.
Can mutilate be used figuratively?
Yes. You can say a text or artwork has been mutilated when it has been so badly edited, censored, or vandalised that its original quality or meaning is destroyed. 'The censors mutilated the film' means they made cuts severe enough to ruin it.
What is the noun form of mutilate?
The noun is mutilation: 'the mutilation of the statue'. The agent noun is mutilator (one who mutilates). The adjective form is mutilated.
Where does mutilate come from?
From Latin mutilare ('to cut off, maim'), from mutilus ('cut short, maimed'). It entered English in the 16th century, first in the physical sense of cutting off body parts, and later extended to severe damage of objects and texts.