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weaken

One entry found.

Main Entry:
weak·en 
          Listen to the pronunciation of weaken
Pronunciation:
\ˈwē-kən\
Function:
verb
Inflected Form(s):
weak·ened; weak·en·ing 
          Listen to the pronunciation of weakening \ˈwēk-niŋ, ˈwē-kə-\
Date:
1530
transitive verb 1 : to make weak : lessen the strength of 2 : to reduce in intensity or effectiveness intransitive verb : to become weak
weak·en·er 
          Listen to the pronunciation of weakener \ˈwēk-nər, ˈwē-kə-\ noun
synonyms weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, undermine, sap, cripple, disable mean to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor. weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power <a disease that weakens the body's defenses> . enfeeble implies an obvious and pitiable condition of weakness and helplessness <enfeebled by starvation>. debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality <the debilitating effects of surgery>. undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously <a poor diet undermines your health> <drugs had sapped his ability to think>. cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element <crippled by arthritis>. disable suggests a usually sudden crippling or enfeebling <disabled soldiers received an immediate discharge>.


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