debilitating

adjective

de·​bil·​i·​tat·​ing di-ˈbi-lə-ˌtā-tiŋ 

dē-

: causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function

debilitating pain

a debilitating fear of public speaking

a debilitating illness

Thirty years have passed since a vaccine wiped out polio, but some of those who conquered the debilitating disease as children are now experiencing symptoms that seem all too familiar.

—Fay Knicely

Several of these drugs are now in clinical testing to determine whether they can reduce or eliminate the debilitating nausea suffered by cancer patients on chemotherapy.

—Ron Cowen

debilitatingly adverb

Debilitatingly asthmatic as a child, Scarfe developed his talent while amusing himself and acquired the cynicism for authority that empowers his … drawings and sculpture during many frightening encounters with medical incompetence.

—Ray Olson

Did you know?

The verb debilitate (and its adjective form debilitating) comes from the Latin word for "weak," debilis. Often used of disease—as in, "the patient was debilitated"—it can also suggest something that strikes like a disease or illness, "the actor was debilitated by stage fright." In sum, the word suggests a temporary impairment or a condition of weakness and helplessness.

Examples of debilitating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps even more debilitating is the domino effect on the next day’s bullpen. —Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Worry is such a debilitating thing that robs you of your energy and distracts you of your concentration. —Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2025

Travis suffered a debilitating stroke about 12 years ago but continues to release original music with the aid of technologies. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2025

And Ukrainians are raising alarm that Trump’s foreign aid freeze, which halted economic support to Ukraine, is just as debilitating as weapons shortages on the frontline. —Laura Kelly, The Hill, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for debilitating

• accelerating
• accentuating
• accommodating
• accumulating
• adjudicating
• administrating
• affiliating
• agglutinating
• alienating
• alleviating
• amalgamating
• ameliorating