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.
Synonyms
Examples of debilitate in a Sentence
Michael Carroll, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The question has to do with Havana Syndrome — the nickname given to a group of debilitating symptoms first thought to be experienced by U.S. personnel posted to Havana in 2016.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 Apr. 2024
Havana Syndrome got its name from the city where U.S. and Canadian diplomats and intelligence officials first reported in 2016 experiencing strange noises and sensations of pressure, and later developed debilitating symptoms like vertigo, migraines and hearing and cognitive problems.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024
His firm won the settlements of $45 million and $30 million for families who had to provide 24-hour-per-day, 7-day-per-week care to children who had suffered lifelong debilitating injuries.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
The legislation allows family members to petition for the involuntary treatment of people debilitated by drug abuse.
—The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Last season couldn’t have gone worse for Haas, which spent the majority of its time ineffectually fighting debilitating tire-wear issues.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024
García Márquez spent much of the last decade of his life with debilitating dementia — an ironic cruelty for a master of chronicling memories, said his eldest son.
—Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024
Related article Gene that protected humans 5,000 years ago may be linked to debilitating modern disease
The shower of radiation as cosmic rays interact with the atmosphere can penetrate rock, creating cosmogenic nuclides, or isotopes.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debilitate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debilitate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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debilitate
verb
Medical Definition
debilitate
transitive verb
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