enervate

1 of 2

adjective

ener·​vate i-ˈnər-vət 

: lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor : enervated

enervate

2 of 2

verb

en·​er·​vate ˈe-nər-ˌvāt 

enervated; enervating

transitive verb

1

: to reduce the mental or moral vigor of

a government enervated by corruption

2

: to lessen the vitality or strength of

Heat enervates people.

enervatingly

ˈe-nər-ˌvā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

enervation

ˌe-nər-ˈvā-shən 

noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between enervate and innervate?

Enervate and innervate are pronounced in a very similar manner and share the Latin root nervus (meaning "sinew"), but they are distinct in meaning. Enervate (as a verb) means "to lessen the vitality or strength of," while innervate means "to supply with nerves."

What is the difference between enervate and energize?

Enervate has the twin misfortune of sharing a beginning with energize and an ending with invigorate, causing many people to assume that it must overlap with these two words in meaning. However, it is roughly the opposite, meaning "to lessen the vitality or strength of." This is a common mistake, but has not yet become so common as to be accepted.

Can enervate be an adjective?

Yes, enervate can function as an adjective, with the meaning of "lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor." An example of such adjectival use can be found in the poem Ode to Drowshood, by Charles G. D. Roberts: "In fervid sunshine, where the Javan palm stirs, scarce awakened from its odorous calm by the enervate wind…."

Synonyms of enervate

Verb

• undermine
• weaken
• exhaust
• drain
• deaden
• petrify

Choose the Right Synonym for enervate

unnerve, enervate, unman, emasculate mean to deprive of strength or vigor and the capacity for effective action.

unnerve implies marked often temporary loss of courage, self-control, or power to act.

unnerved by the near collision

enervate suggests a gradual physical or moral weakening (as through luxury or indolence) until one is too feeble to make an effort.

a nation's youth enervated by affluence and leisure

unman implies a loss of manly vigor, fortitude, or spirit.

a soldier unmanned by the terrors of battle

emasculate stresses a depriving of characteristic force by removing something essential.

an amendment that emasculates existing safeguards

Examples of enervate in a Sentence

Verb

a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul

the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living. —Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025

Bears do not truly hibernate, but instead enervate, or enter a state of torpor, in their dens. —Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025

Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025

This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public. —Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 28 Feb. 2021

Perhaps the most intimate of these photographs presents her after a shower, wet and enervated, rubbing a cloth across her reflection in a mirror, as though the condensation were crud. —Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020

But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . . —Chris Pope, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin enervatus, past participle of enervare, from e- + nervus sinew — more at nerve

First Known Use

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enervate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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Kids Definition

enervate

verb

en·​er·​vate

ˈen-ər-ˌvāt

enervated; enervating

: to cause to decline in strength or vigor : weaken

enervatingly adverb

enervation

ˌen-ər-ˈvā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

enervate

transitive verb

en·​er·​vate ˈen-ər-ˌvāt 

enervated; enervating

1

obsolete : to cut the nerves or tendons of

2

: to lessen the vitality or strength of

heat enervates people

enervation

ˌen-ər-ˈvā-shən 

noun