unnerve implies marked often temporary loss of courage, self-control, or power to act.
unnerved by the near collision
enervate suggests a gradual physical or moral weakening (as through luxury or indolence) until one is too feeble to make an effort.
a nation's youth enervated by affluence and leisure
unman implies a loss of manly vigor, fortitude, or spirit.
a soldier unmanned by the terrors of battle
emasculate stresses a depriving of characteristic force by removing something essential.
an amendment that emasculates existing safeguards
Example Sentences
He plays the role of a meek husband who has been emasculated by his domineering wife. Critics charged that this change would emasculate the law.
Recent Examples on the WebShe was portrayed as an unnatural woman, bloodthirsty, out to emasculate all the men around her. Anne Thériault, Longreads, 21 June 2022 As played by Jackson, Kanan is malice personified, a gleeful killer with a hair-trigger temper and a tendency to humiliate and emasculate his foes. Joshua Alston, Variety, 7 Apr. 2022 The idea that Aladdin is self-conscious about being small is not a strong enough game to carry a sketch, and bringing on Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott to emasculate Aladdin throws this immediately off the rails. Alexis Pereira, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2021 When Peter sends an apparently sincere email begging him to visit and hear his apology, though, C.W. finally decides to confront his past — or, at the very least, flaunt his success and emasculate the guy who got the girl. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 June 2021 Asian men have generally been emasculated, demasculinized, and historically, black men have often been over-sexualized, the reverse. Annie Howard, Billboard, 16 May 2019 Both women know that forceful men are all often described as strong and assertive, while forceful women are dismissed as angry, emasculating or hectoring. Charlotte Alter, Time, 21 Nov. 2019 Here is a president who seems not to feel shame but who does seem to fear, more than anything else, appearing weak or emasculated.Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2019 The terms are in and of themselves wrong, but being judged on those terms, there’s a level of shame, of feeling emasculated. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 29 Sep. 2019 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin emasculatus, past participle of emasculare, from e- + masculus male — more at male