debilitating

adjective

de·​bil·​i·​tat·​ing di-ˈbi-lə-ˌtā-tiŋ 

dē-

: causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function

debilitating pain

a debilitating fear of public speaking

a debilitating illness

Thirty years have passed since a vaccine wiped out polio, but some of those who conquered the debilitating disease as children are now experiencing symptoms that seem all too familiar.

—Fay Knicely

Several of these drugs are now in clinical testing to determine whether they can reduce or eliminate the debilitating nausea suffered by cancer patients on chemotherapy.

—Ron Cowen

debilitatingly adverb

Debilitatingly asthmatic as a child, Scarfe developed his talent while amusing himself and acquired the cynicism for authority that empowers his … drawings and sculpture during many frightening encounters with medical incompetence.

—Ray Olson

Did you know?

The verb debilitate (and its adjective form debilitating) comes from the Latin word for "weak," debilis. Often used of disease—as in, "the patient was debilitated"—it can also suggest something that strikes like a disease or illness, "the actor was debilitated by stage fright." In sum, the word suggests a temporary impairment or a condition of weakness and helplessness.

Examples of debilitating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By forcing Senua on an introspective journey the first time around, the original game (which was brief at only seven hours) leaned into the debilitating fatigue and confusion of psychosis. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2024

Through intimate narratives, the project captures the silent suffering, daily battles, and emotional isolation endured by individuals living with this invisible and debilitating condition, aiming to shed light on the plights encountered by numerous chronic Lyme disease patients. —TIME, 16 May 2024

For those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, one-third will progress to a debilitating stage in about three years. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 16 May 2024

Carson’s generally excellent column also leaves out how to effectively negate the debilitating consequences of fatherlessness and stopping the government’s consistent subsidizing of child after child after child born out of wedlock. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2024

Then more debilitating symptoms appeared — including blurred vision, headache, tinnitus, nausea and more — before the tingling and prickling sensations reached her legs. —Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024

Sacramento leaders made a Vision Zero pledge seven years ago to fix the city’s dangerous streets and to end debilitating and deadly crashes. —Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024

Depression can be a debilitating, chronic, episodic condition, and preventing it could save money, health and lives. —Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024

But while some women fake it from time-to-time, for others the lack of ability to reach orgasm is a far more debilitating issue. —Sarah Sinclair, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

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