as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the all-too-apparent weakening of our grandfather was hard on our mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in softening
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in diluting
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
weakened the juice with too much water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in draining
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weakening
Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
The meeting comes as the central bank is in a bit of a bind, given the recent uptick in inflation that has coincided with a weakening of the job market.
—Zev Fima,jeff Marks, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Inflammation can cause vascular disease — the narrowing, weakening or even blockage of blood vessels — that can damage organs such as the kidneys, lungs, liver and of course the brain.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
While rising inflation generally compels the Fed to leave interest rates elevated, the recent weakening in the job market is outweighing that concern.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
However, hydrogen comes with problems in weakening metals, causing unexpected cracks and failures.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Powell's recent speeches, and recent data indicating a weakening of the economy, suggest that the next move by the Fed will likely be to lower interest rates in September.
—Robert Hormats, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Fast weakening is expected to begin on Thursday, and Lorena could weaken back to a tropical storm by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is set to lose two-thirds of its workforce, further weakening national cyber defenses.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Humberto is weakening the quasi-permanent ridge over Bermuda and opening up a path to pull Imelda behind it.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025
And, in the process, weakening the ability of American tech companies, many of them based in California, to achieve their goals.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
By Tuesday, Imelda could briefly strengthen into a hurricane before weakening back to a tropical storm ahead of landfall in South Carolina.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
As a major ally to China, South Africa recently intensified pressure to move the embassy in July ahead of another meeting in November that Xi is expected to attend—attempting to signal that South Africa was weakening ties with Taiwan, as China had demanded.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
The economy has slowed, weakening the labor market and forcing the Federal Reserve last week to trim its benchmark short-term interest rate by a quarter percentage point as inflation edges up and amid ongoing tariff uncertainty.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
The hurricane center said some gradual weakening is expected during the next couple of days as the storm continues to move in a general northeastward direction.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
The meeting comes as the central bank is in a bit of a bind, given the recent uptick in inflation that has coincided with a weakening of the job market.
—Zev Fima,jeff Marks, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Inflammation can cause vascular disease — the narrowing, weakening or even blockage of blood vessels — that can damage organs such as the kidneys, lungs, liver and of course the brain.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
While rising inflation generally compels the Fed to leave interest rates elevated, the recent weakening in the job market is outweighing that concern.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
However, hydrogen comes with problems in weakening metals, causing unexpected cracks and failures.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Powell's recent speeches, and recent data indicating a weakening of the economy, suggest that the next move by the Fed will likely be to lower interest rates in September.
—Robert Hormats, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Fast weakening is expected to begin on Thursday, and Lorena could weaken back to a tropical storm by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
If the economy is not weakening, but strengthening, the outlook for inflation could tilt higher.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is set to lose two-thirds of its workforce, further weakening national cyber defenses.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Humberto is weakening the quasi-permanent ridge over Bermuda and opening up a path to pull Imelda behind it.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025
And, in the process, weakening the ability of American tech companies, many of them based in California, to achieve their goals.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
By Tuesday, Imelda could briefly strengthen into a hurricane before weakening back to a tropical storm ahead of landfall in South Carolina.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
As a major ally to China, South Africa recently intensified pressure to move the embassy in July ahead of another meeting in November that Xi is expected to attend—attempting to signal that South Africa was weakening ties with Taiwan, as China had demanded.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
The economy has slowed, weakening the labor market and forcing the Federal Reserve last week to trim its benchmark short-term interest rate by a quarter percentage point as inflation edges up and amid ongoing tariff uncertainty.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakening
Noun
-
Mahama’s installations, which say something about societal deterioration, also dramatize the country’s inability to sustain robust funding in the arts or technology in its postindependence years.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Indeed, September’s deterioration doesn’t signal the first time the indicator has entered recession territory—it’s been there since February 2025—but marks a further step away from a healthy outlook over a prolonged period of time.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Because the broad thrust of Powell’s speech contained worries about the softening labor market, which implies the Fed will stay on its rate-cutting path in the near term.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
24 Sep. 2025
-
For a girl like me who is bold in essence but soft on the inside, not drawing brows brings my tenderness out by softening my features.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That combo typically signals bearish pressure is fading and a potential trend shift is forming.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Glitter’s dusty shadow, fading into the lower part of the brow bone, brought out the moody hue on the lips.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cleaver's Fifth District, which encompasses much of Kansas City, will be split across three different districts, diluting Democratic voting strength by incorporating Republican-leaning rural areas.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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On the other hand, an otherwise strong voting bloc can be marginalized by splintering its voters among several districts, thereby diluting its impact.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The water-resistant fabric protects the rest of your carry-on from spills, and the slim, structured design tucks neatly into your bag without wasting precious space.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Sep. 2025
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For almost 30 years, the Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards have been a key fundraiser for the nonprofit — and a thorn in the side of public agencies on the receiving end of unwelcome attention for wasting government resources.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The budget negotiations mark the latest step in the city’s financial crisis, which was caused in large part by sagging sales tax revenue and growing expenses.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Market breadth was soft, the median stock sagging a bit but still in for a decent week.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chelsea are sorely lacking leadership and self-assurance, hardly surprising given the inexperience throughout a quickly thinning squad.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
-
October can be the sweet spot with color still lingering in the lower elevations and crowds thinning all over the park.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Weakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakening. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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