debilitate

1 of 2

verb

de·​bil·​i·​tate di-ˈbi-lə-ˌtāt 

dē-

debilitated; debilitating

transitive verb

: to impair the strength of : enfeeble

sailors debilitated by scurvy

an economy debilitated by years of civil war

debilitation

di-ˌbi-lə-ˈtā-shən 

dē-

noun

debilitation

2 of 2

noun

de·​bil·​i·​ta·​tion di-ˌbi-lə-ˈtā-shən 

dē-

plural -s

1

: the act or process of debilitating

2

: the state of being debilitated : weakness

the greater the debilitation, the greater the need for protein replenishment

—P. R. Cannon

Did you know?

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 of debilitate

Verb

• weaken
• soften

Choose the Right Synonym for debilitate

weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, undermine, sap, disable mean to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor.

weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health

drugs had sapped his ability to think

disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

Examples of debilitate in a Sentence

Verb

The virus debilitates the body's immune system.

the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

These very serious diseases, which often have pediatric onset, are often fatal and progressively debilitating, so families are desperate for a treatment. — Kat Bryant Knudson, STAT, 31 July 2026

What Gu-cheon Required Of Him In The East Palace, currently streaming on Netflix, Nam plays Gu-cheon, a man who can traverse the realm of spirits but whose gift is more of a debilitating condition than a superpower. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

But this is another story entirely, full of its own complications of immigration and homelands and politics, a story of a difficult and fractured relationship with a parent, a story of a debilitating disease. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Still's disease, a rare type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause rashes, debilitating pain, and fevers. — Rachana Pradhan, NPR, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin debilitatus, past participle of debilitare to weaken, from debilis weak

Noun

Middle French, from Latin debilitation-, debilitatio, from debilitatus + -ion- -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1533, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for debilitate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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Kids Definition

debilitate

verb

de·​bil·​i·​tate di-ˈbil-ə-ˌtāt 

debilitated; debilitating

: to reduce the strength of : weaken

debilitation

-ˌbil-ə-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

debilitate

transitive verb

de·​bil·​i·​tate di-ˈbil-ə-ˌtāt 

debilitated; debilitating

: to impair the strength of

a body debilitated by disease

debilitation

-ˌbil-ə-ˈtā-shən 

noun