debilitating

1 of 2

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

debilitating

2 of 2

present participle of debilitate

Did you know?

Debilitating describes things that cause serious impairment of strength or ability to function. The word appears in both medical and general contexts; someone can suffer from debilitating nausea or debilitating stage fright. An adjective that takes the form of a verb, debilitating dates to the mid-17th century, making it the youngest of a trio: its source, the verb debilitate ("to impair the strength of"), dates to the early 16th century, and the noun debility ("weakness, infirmity") has been in use since the 15th century. All come from the Latin word for "weak," debilis. Polyglots may recognize the influence of debilis in words from Spanish, Russian, Czech, Turkish, Danish, and many other languages as well.

Examples of debilitating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That’s a good thing, in the sense that even if a child is infected, the vast majority do not develop debilitating, and potentially fatal, consequences. — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Balancing a new baby and the demands of a job on top of the debilitating effects of postpartum depression and anxiety can drive up absenteeism and undercut job performance. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

For the past two years, Lilyana had also sought answers for the debilitating but persistent pain on her right side, visiting specialists in OB/GYN, pain management, orthopedics, neurology, urology and nephrology, among others. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026

In today's economy, overspending, poor management and an investment that doesn't work out can be financially debilitating. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for debilitating

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

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