debilitate
verb
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Debilitate, enfeeble, undermine, and sap all share the general sense "to weaken." But while debilitate holds the distinction among these words of coming from the Latin word for "weak"—debilis—it packs a potent punch. Often used of disease or something that strikes like a disease or illness, debilitate might suggest a temporary impairment—but a pervasive one at that. Enfeeble, a very close synonym of debilitate, connotes a pitiable, but often reversible, condition of weakness and helplessness. Undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.
Examples of debilitate in a Sentence
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Her history of breast cancer disqualifies her from taking HRT, but she’s spent about $500 on items like cooling pajamas to relieve debilitating hot flashes.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025
Yet in the doc, her years of control over her image are peeled away to reveal a woman who, in her 50s, has been delivered from the debilitating need for public approval.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Given the debilitating nature of SMIs, patients tend to be poor, explains Sharfstein.
—Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debilitate. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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debilitate
verb
Medical Definition
debilitate
transitive verb
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