as in demoralizing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Researchers don’t know whether ADHD drugs actually protect against the underlying causes of more debilitating brain diseases.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Todd Gilchrist, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
With this ruling, the judge upheld his attorneys' claim that the debilitating effects of his schizophrenia prevent him from facing the death penalty at this time.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for debilitating
Adjective
Another brother, Maksim, is introduced early on as suffering a debilitating injury from the war.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Researchers don’t know whether ADHD drugs actually protect against the underlying causes of more debilitating brain diseases.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
For audiences, the echo chamber that develops in the villas can seem debilitating to a possible reconciliation, but Walberg says that there are invariably a few authentic souls whose support is sincere rather than a tactic to get them into mischief.
—Todd Gilchrist, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
With this ruling, the judge upheld his attorneys' claim that the debilitating effects of his schizophrenia prevent him from facing the death penalty at this time.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for debilitating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitating
Adjective
-
The demoralizing loss sent the Lakers into a three-game tailspin just a couple weeks before the playoffs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
The injury to his left knee was demoralizing for Edwards, who was showing progress with a right knee injury that had bothered him for most of the previous month.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No ‘victory image’ for Tehran Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Forecasters say geomagnetic activity is gradually weakening, but lingering disturbances in Earth's magnetic field could still spark visible displays overnight, particularly in northern regions.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Asch recommends finding a driver-friendly activity to make time on the road feel less draining, such as listening to an audiobook or podcast.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Additionally, there was mention of softening or pricing pressures stemming from the conflict with Iran, which has driven oil prices higher.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
The moisture activates the surfactants and softening agents embedded in the sheet.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
8 May 2026
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
Verb
-
Martinez on Thursday did not discuss details of the plan but said the city was exhausting all its options while seeking more ways to cut costs.—
Abby Church,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In some ways, the Wolfpack were already destined for a reset, with veterans like Tre Holloman, Darrion Williams, Quadir Copeland and Ven-Allen Lubin all exhausting their eligibility.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In another discouraging signal, price increases accelerated by more in April than economists expected even after excluding gasoline and food costs.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
The first half of this homestand has been particularly discouraging because the Phillies, though rich in talent, came to Miami at 12-19 before winning three of four at loanDepot Park.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
This perspective suggests that while critics worry about wasting public funds on wealthy families, universal programs historically have maintained stronger political support, exemplified by the enduring nature of Social Security and Medicare.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
For months, thousands have been detained there in inhumane conditions without meaningful due process–while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debilitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitating. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
