debilitating 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of debilitatingnext
as in demoralizing

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Dissimilar Words

debilitating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of debilitate
as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears

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 debilitating
Adjective
Such a statistic often provokes a familiar gamut of responses from those who read it, from shock, disgust and anger to a debilitating sense of helplessness. — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 June 2026 My symptoms are legion, but among the most debilitating is joint subluxation, or partial dislocation. — Lydia Cruz, Denver Post, 22 May 2026
Verb
Schumer’s swimsuit photo comes seven years after the mom of one experienced a challenging pregnancy complicated by debilitating nausea endometriosis, as documented in Expecting Amy. — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 11 July 2026 Several states, primarily in the Midwest and on the East Coast, have reported thousands of cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic disease that can cause an extended bout of debilitating diarrhea. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for debilitating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitating
  1. demoralizing
  2. weakening
  3. draining
  4. softening
  5. fatiguing
  6. exhausting
  7. discouraging
  8. wasting
Adjective
  • His ballclub, fresh off a division championship and a demoralizing first-round elimination, was off to its worst start since 1973.
    — Katie Woo, New York Times, 15 July 2026
  • The Lions would go on to suffer a demoralizing 4-1 loss to Germany that same year in a round of 16 match staged at an altitude of 4,600 feet.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of demoralizing
Verb
  • The Knesset also recently passed several bills connected with Netanyahu’s attempts to overhaul the judiciary, including increasing government control over broadcast media and weakening the role of the attorney general.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • European commitment is weakening, with record Russian LNG purchases and growing pro-Russian political factions.
    — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of weakening
Adjective
  • Speaking of the part of van life spent behind the wheel, Volkswagen has slightly reworked the Grand California's driver-assistance suite to make driving a little less draining.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026
  • Others are voluntarily asking to see more patients because the most draining and time-consuming parts of their job are now handled by AI.
    — FJ Campbell, Fortune, 20 May 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Lander did not feel the need to appease the Zionist mob by softening his rhetoric.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • The singer styled a floral tank top from Chloé with black stovepipe jeans, softening the dark wash with a touch of flower power.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 20 July 2026
Definition of softening
Adjective
  • But the most mentally fatiguing aspect, the work found, was having to constantly supervise the AI tools, with some employees overseeing multiple AI agents performing different tasks at the same time.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Mar. 2026
  • My friend was in course of opening up his country house unassisted, and after a fatiguing day discovered that the only practical bed was a child’s affair— long enough but scarcely wider than a crib.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Definition of fatiguing
Verb
  • But there were hero moments here too, the same refusal to lose, the same team-work, the same selfless effort in exhausting physical conditions.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • The two young women at the center of the chamber piece that is Fruit Gathering face more challenges than hard work in a monotonous environment, including exhausting work, economic uncertainty and social repression.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
Definition of exhausting
Adjective
  • Tracy provided another discouraging injury update over the weekend in Anaheim as well, telling reporters that first baseman Triston Casas suffered yet another setback and has been shut down from hitting due to a wrist issue.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Still, this was a discouraging result for anyone wearing yellow in Kansas City.
    — Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star, 21 June 2026
Definition of discouraging
Verb
  • Ahead of the hearing, Fishback started speaking to his followers in the room, saying in part that Collins was wasting taxpayer money on the case.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026
  • Without clear governance, agents roam aimlessly through data warehouses looking for credible information, then check the results after the fact — wasting time and tokens, and generating inconsistent actions.
    — Sumeet Agrawal, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Definition of wasting

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Cite this Entry

“Debilitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitating. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of debilitating for Spanish Speakers

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