Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'stultify'

English Word: stultify

Key Russian Translations:

• обесценить /ɐbʲɪˈsʲt͡sənʲɪtʲ/ - [Formal; Used in contexts involving devaluation or making something ineffective]
• обессмыслить /ɐbʲɪsʲˈmɨslʲɪtʲ/ - [Formal; Used when emphasizing the rendering of something meaningless or absurd]

Frequency: Low (This word and its translations are not commonly used in everyday conversation, appearing more in formal, academic, or legal texts.)

Difficulty: Advanced (C1); Both translations require a strong grasp of Russian verb conjugations and formal vocabulary. For "обесценить," it is C1 due to economic/legal nuances; for "обессмыслить," it is also C1 for philosophical contexts.

Pronunciation (Russian):

обесценить: /ɐbʲɪˈsʲt͡sənʲɪtʲ/ (Stress on the third syllable; the 'ц' is a voiceless alveolar affricate, similar to 'ts' in 'cats'.)

обессмыслить: /ɐbʲɪsʲˈmɨslʲɪtʲ/ (Stress on the second syllable; note the palatalized 'с' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers.)

Note on обесценить: Be cautious with the soft sign (ь) in pronunciation, as it affects the preceding consonant's softness.

Note on обессмыслить: This word often has a more emphatic pronunciation in debates, with a slight pause before the final syllable.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To make something ineffective, foolish, or absurd

Translation(s) & Context:

• обесценить - Typically used in formal or legal contexts, such as devaluing an argument or idea in a debate.
• обессмыслить - Applied in philosophical or intellectual discussions to indicate rendering something meaningless.

Usage Examples:

• Его аргументы обесценили всю дискуссию, сделав её бессмысленной.

  His arguments stultified the entire discussion, making it meaningless.

• Эта политика обессмыслила усилия команды, превратив их в пустую трату времени.

  This policy stultified the team's efforts, turning them into a pointless waste of time.

• Бюрократия часто обесценивает инновации, делая их менее эффективными.

  Bureaucracy often stultifies innovations, making them less effective.

• Критика экспертов обессмыслила его теорию, показав её несостоятельность.

  The experts' criticism stultified his theory, revealing its flaws.

• В судебном процессе доказательства обесценили первоначальное обвинение.

  In the court case, the evidence stultified the original accusation.

To cause someone or something to appear stupid

Translation(s) & Context:

• обессмыслить - Used in interpersonal or rhetorical contexts to highlight how an action makes someone look foolish.

Usage Examples:

• Его неудачная шутка обессмыслила всю презентацию перед аудиторией.

  His failed joke stultified the entire presentation in front of the audience.

• Отрицание фактов обесценило его репутацию среди коллег.

  Denying the facts stultified his reputation among colleagues.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "обесценить" and "обессмыслить" are first-conjugation verbs in Russian, which means they follow regular patterns but have some irregularities in perfective aspects. They are imperfective in their base forms and can be used in various tenses.

For "обесценить" (to devalue):

Note: This verb is aspectually perfective, so it doesn't change in imperfective forms without prefixes.

For "обессмыслить" (to render meaningless):

These verbs are regular but require attention to aspect (perfective). They do not inflect for gender in the infinitive form.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms: обесценивать (more ongoing action, less formal), унижать (to humiliate, with a emotional connotation), девальвировать (specifically for economic devaluation)
• Antonyms: усилить (to strengthen), повысить (to elevate, often in value or importance)

Related Phrases:

• обесценить идею - To devalue an idea (Used in debates to dismiss flawed concepts.)
• обессмыслить дискуссию - To render a discussion meaningless (Common in philosophical or academic settings.)
• обесценить аргумент - To make an argument ineffective (Often in legal or rhetorical contexts.)

Usage Notes:

"Stultify" corresponds most closely to "обесценить" in formal contexts like law or economics, where the focus is on making something ineffective. Use "обессмыслить" for more abstract, intellectual scenarios. Both are formal and rare in everyday speech, so avoid them in casual conversations. Grammatically, ensure correct verb conjugation based on subject and tense, as Russian verbs change with person and number. When choosing between translations, opt for "обесценить" if the context involves tangible loss of value, and "обессмыслить" for existential or philosophical implications.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using "обесценить" interchangeably with "унижать," thinking they mean the same. Correct: "обесценить" focuses on devaluation, not emotional humiliation. Example: Incorrect - "Он унизил её аргумент" (implies personal attack); Correct - "Он обесценил её аргумент" (implies making it ineffective).
• Mistake: Forgetting aspect in conjugations, e.g., using imperfective forms incorrectly. Correct: Always specify perfective for completed actions, as in "обесценить" vs. "обесценивать."

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "обесценить" often appear in intellectual or bureaucratic contexts, reflecting a historical emphasis on debate and philosophy in Russian literature (e.g., Dostoevsky). They highlight the cultural value placed on deep analysis, where ideas can be "stultified" to expose flaws, rather than outright dismissed.

Related Concepts:

• глупость (foolishness)
• бессмыслица (nonsense)
• аннулировать (to annul)