debilitated 1 of 2

adjective

as in weak
lacking bodily strength the debilitated prisoners could barely stand

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

debilitated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of debilitate
as in weakened
to diminish the physical strength of the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears

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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 debilitated
Verb
After being shocked with the glove, the officer screamed and dropped to the ground, briefly debilitated for the moment the glove made contact with his skin. — Meg Anderson, NPR, 12 Aug. 2026 In Desert Storm, the short duration of ground operations was made possible by an air campaign that debilitated Iraq’s entire military establishment. — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Destruction of their livelihoods and more — they are debilitated. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026 Israel quickly debilitated Iran’s air defenses and caused significant damage to Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026 The war, the latest and most extensive Israel offensive in the Gaza Strip, has greatly debilitated Hamas. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026 Amid an unprecedented cold snap in the Upper Florida Keys, six juvenile green sea turtles were discovered debilitated by frigid waters and are now undergoing intensive care at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitated
  1. weak
  2. weakened
  3. feeble
  4. softened
  5. frail
  6. exhausted
  7. disabled
  8. tired
Adjective
  • The heat has caused a fall in nuclear generation, with power plants forced to shut down or reduce production across the region, while wind power generation has been weak over the summer.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The state financial watchdog attributed the disbursement problems to administrative delays, weak project management, and late counterpart funding from the Congolese government.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of weak
Verb
  • Airstrikes have weakened the regime militarily but strengthened its standing internally.
    — Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That mechanism has weakened substantially since the global financial crisis, and particularly since 2020.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakened
Adjective
  • Instead of using a mirror to gather starlight, MOTHRA has many telephoto lenses, like those on a camera, which can capture faintly glowing wisps of gas and other feeble emanations across a wider field of view.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
  • By an act of war, committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and without authority of Congress, the Government of a feeble but friendly and confiding people has been overthrown.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of feeble
Verb
  • Despite its small stature, this mini table's design—with its dramatic sloping base and softened top—packs a punch.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Now, after ongoing discussions with FIFA, that stance has reportedly softened, with UEFA reportedly receiving reassurances that such a project will never be attempted again.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of softened
Adjective
  • In the last decade, Jackson has paid a Miami company more than $35 million to discharge mostly frail patients with nowhere to go into assisted living beds.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Up there, the wind is your neighbor, whistling through the walls and frail window panes.
    — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of frail
Verb
  • Social Security’s retirement trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausted by around 2033 or 2034.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The result was a landscape repeatedly cleared and exhausted for cotton and other cash crops.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhausted
Adjective
  • An unidentified projectile struck and disabled an oil tanker about nine nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • An oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile and disabled near Oman on Monday, according to an incident report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disabled
Verb
  • Fellow striker Ricardo Pepi tired out the Australian back line all day.
    — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 20 June 2026
  • Plus, their fabric and fill are less likely to accrue that ever-darkening yellowish stain that tired goose down pillows acquire over time, thanks to sweat, oils, lotion residues, etc.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of tired

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Cite this Entry

“Debilitated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitated. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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