debilitation

noun

Definition of debilitationnext
1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body the debilitation that all the prisoners of war had experienced during their captivity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor attributed the patient's general debilitation to an iron deficiency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debilitation Infected animals will eventually show signs of abnormal behavior, weight loss and physical debilitation in later stages of the disease. — Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 The cases were said to be in people with significant underlying health conditions, including organ and immune system dysfunction, as well as debilitation. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026 Nobody wants to watch a loved one endure the pain, debilitation, and loss of independence that can follow a serious fall. — Brian Frost, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026 In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering a bill to amend a state law that allows parents to nominate standby, or temporary, guardians in the cases of death, incapacity, or debilitation. — CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026 Those citing such ominous scenarios envisioned other possible dangers, including the debilitation of America’s security guarantees to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil exporters. — Paul Blustein, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitation
  1. deterioration
  2. weakness
  3. weakening
  4. exhaustion
  5. debility
  6. fatigue
Noun
  • And each year, 324 billion cubic meters of freshwater are lost due to a combination of droughts and practices like deforestation and wetland deterioration, a volume that the World Bank says is equivalent to the annual needs of 280 million people.
    — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • International monitors have warned of a deterioration in political rights and civil liberties worldwide.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of deterioration
Noun
  • Automated systems could then use additional computing resources to discover weaknesses and test potential defenses.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Intel plunged 30% Friday after issuing weaker guidance for the fourth quarter, citing weakness in the PC market and manufacturing bottlenecks.
    — Lucy Bayly, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakness
Noun
  • The hurricane center said the storm's intensity could fluctuate over the next few days but would likely maintain hurricane strength through Thursday, with gradual weakening forecast thereafter.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The networks learn to recognize patterns by strengthening and weakening connections between nodes in response to training data.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening
Noun
  • Security by exhaustion The internet is held together with shoestring and bubblegum.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Change fatigue is a state of exhaustion workers may experience after going through many changes at their employer.
    — Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of exhaustion
Noun
  • In recent years, white supremacists have embraced the concept of lactose intolerance as a distinguishing debility of nonwhite people.
    — Hilary Smith, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And, when pets suffered from cancer or heart failure or debility, conversations about what to do next were emotional but often straightforward.
    — Sunita Puri, New Yorker, 6 June 2026
Definition of debility
Noun
  • And yet, the dominant feeling for most people is fatigue, not freedom.
    — Aditi Sinha, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But at the moment, Trump fatigue is taking a real toll on Fox’s ratings, and thus its bottom line.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fatigue

Browse Nearby Words

debilitating
debilitation
debility
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Debilitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitation. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 SCRABBLE Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All