as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in demoralizing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
And while some headaches fade quickly with rest or a couple of over-the-counter pain pills, others can last for hours or even days and become downright debilitating.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease is rare and debilitating and is caused by calcium accumulating in small blood vessels of the fat and skin tissues.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitating
Verb
Fortunately, the resemblance to a police state has not been totally debilitating.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
And while some headaches fade quickly with rest or a couple of over-the-counter pain pills, others can last for hours or even days and become downright debilitating.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The star, 52, made his first appearance since missing the Emmys earlier this month and vowed not to give up the fight against the debilitating disease.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease is rare and debilitating and is caused by calcium accumulating in small blood vessels of the fat and skin tissues.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitating
Verb
-
If the economy is not weakening, but strengthening, the outlook for inflation could tilt higher.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The first came at a demoralizing time for the Patriots’ offense.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
-
The Indianapolis City-County Council is nearing a key vote that will end in either a demoralizing defeat for Google or the city approving a major data center against the wishes of the councilor and residents on the southeast side of the city.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Nozawa approached the decor with the goal of softening the architecture's hard lines and surfaces, while channeling the color palette of the building materials.—
Monika Biegler Eyers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Speaking in New York, the central bank policymaker noted risks to both higher inflation and a softening labor market that are keeping officials on their toes.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
So Much Fun) and others exhausting (the YSL Slime Language comps, 2023’s Business Is Business), as well as too many studio leaks unleashed via message board accounts.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Each one of those alerts puts millions of lives on hold – part of Russia’s strategy of terrorizing and exhausting Ukraine’s civilian population.—
Daria Tarasova-Markina,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Grand Luna has an unprecedented high-frequency extension that goes as high as 30kHz, while remaining smooth, non-fatiguing, and eliminating harshness or sibilance thanks to Campfire’s acoustic engineering.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Denim has long been branded one of the most climate-adverse, chemical-heavy, water-wasting fabrics to mill and manufacture.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Talk about wasting our valuable resource.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
My father was very discouraging about it, too.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
-
At the same time, the Edinburgh publishers Oliver and Boyd brought out an anthology called The Door of Youth—A Selection of Poems from Edinburgh School Magazines, with a discouraging preface by John Buchan.—
Frances Wilson
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debilitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitating. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share