Definition of "stultify" []

• To render useless or ineffectual; cripple. (verb-transitive)
• To cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous. (verb-transitive)
• Law To allege or prove insane and so not legally responsible. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "By doing the right thing – following in the footsteps of the Bush Administration – without setting forth good reasons, the President will stultify his ability to keep on doing it."
• "In the middle of your well-deserved editorial paean to Steve Jobs, "The Importance of Jobs" Aug. 26, you can't resist slamming "government rules and controls" that you think "stultify . . . human ingenuity and passion.""
• "AftertheWhite House gathering earlier this week, Jindal was all over the television, applauding the President's efforts, while simultaneously attempting to hamper and stultify them."