obelize means to mark (a written or printed passage) with an obelus; to judge as spurious or doubtful. It carries an Arena rating of 1612, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, obelize ranks #410 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,321 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #3,034 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #3,720 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
Why “obelize” is a great word
To mark a passage in a text with an obelus—the dagger-like symbol († or ÷)—signifying that its authenticity is suspect. From the Hellenic Ancient Greek ὀβελίζειν (obelízein), from ὀβελός (obelós, 'obelus, spit, pointed pillar'). First attested in English c. 1605–1615. Unlike 'expunge,' which seeks to erase the suspect text entirely, or 'annotate,' which broadly adds commentary, to obelize is the scholar's precise act of suspended judgment—a surgical flag of treason planted in the margin. It is the ghost of a dagger hovering beside a suspect line, the silent asterisk of doubt cast upon a too-perfect quotation, the typographical scar that questions without healing. It is the quiet admission that while we must live with the text we have inherited, we need not trust all of it.
Etymology
From Hellenic Ancient Greek ὀβελίζειν (obelízein), from ὀβελός (obelós, “obelus”).
verb
- To mark (a written or printed passage) with an obelus; to judge as spurious or doubtful.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- obelized 84% match — Marked with an obelus or obelisk; condemned as spurious or corrupt. vs obelize →
- obelus 65% match — A symbol resembling a horizontal line (–), sometimes together with one or two dots (for example, ⨪ or ÷), which was used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtful or spurious, or redundant; an obelisk. vs obelize →
- obelism 65% match — The practice of annotating manuscripts with marks set in the margins. vs obelize →
- obsign 58% match — To seal; to confirm, as by a seal or stamp. vs obelize →
- athetize 56% match — To reject a passage of text as spurious. vs obelize →
- benote 54% match — To annotate or make notes upon, especially excessively. vs obelize →
- bespot 53% match — To make spots on; mark with spots; cover with or as with blots or blemishes. vs obelize →
- obnebulate 53% match — To cloud or obscure (something). vs obelize →