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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