DEBILITATING Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

debilitating 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of debilitating

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

My symptoms are legion, but among the most debilitating is joint subluxation, or partial dislocation. — Lydia Cruz, Denver Post, 22 May 2026 Whooping cough was often deadly for babies and toddlers but among the less debilitating of childhood diseases past for older children, thus the freedom to play while coughing. — Fran Moreland Johns, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026

Verb

Would society trend toward debilitating mass unemployment or the joyful end of work? — Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 29 June 2026 Long-term, debilitating nerve pain, called postherpetic neuralgia, is the most common complication of shingles because the varicella-zoster virus hides in the peripheral nervous system. — Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for debilitating

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitating

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 German lender notes a growing divergence between the nation's weakening fiscal position and its thriving corporate balance sheets.

— Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 9 July 2026
The effect results in the typical east-to-west trade winds weakening or even sometimes reversing, allowing warmer water from the western Pacific to move eastward.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 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

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

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
This convergence is a very encouraging sign, providing the first footprint of a structural trend change and indicating that the selling pressure from the recent rug pull is finally exhausting itself.

— Nishant Pant, CNBC, 7 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

That the women who show such bravery in speaking out against powerful men are wasting their time because their trauma cannot compete with the power of sport, or the power that sport imparts on its protagonists.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 July 2026
In addition to following the strict Laws of the Game, keeping up with professional athletes and embracing their new technology, referees are also cracking down on time-wasting.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

Definition of wasting

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“Debilitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitating. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of debilitating

adjective

verb

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