1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the debilitation that all the prisoners of war had experienced during their captivity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
attributed the patient's general debilitation to an iron deficiency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debilitation
Nobody wants to watch a loved one endure the pain, debilitation, and loss of independence that can follow a serious fall.
—
Brian Frost, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering a bill to amend a state law that allows parents to nominate standby, or temporary, guardians in the cases of death, incapacity, or debilitation.
—CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering a bill to amend a state law that allows parents to nominate standby, or temporary, guardians in the cases of death, incapacity, or debilitation.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Those citing such ominous scenarios envisioned other possible dangers, including the debilitation of America’s security guarantees to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil exporters.
—Paul Blustein, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Brian Frost, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering a bill to amend a state law that allows parents to nominate standby, or temporary, guardians in the cases of death, incapacity, or debilitation.
—CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering a bill to amend a state law that allows parents to nominate standby, or temporary, guardians in the cases of death, incapacity, or debilitation.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Those citing such ominous scenarios envisioned other possible dangers, including the debilitation of America’s security guarantees to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil exporters.
—Paul Blustein, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitation
Noun
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The global public square has been getting coarser for years, and social media has played a big part in the deterioration.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
The damage required removal of the affected portion in hopes of preventing further deterioration.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Spending has held up, and the economy hasn’t shown the kind of demand collapse that typically accompanies recession-level income weakness.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Oftentimes, people associate apologizing too much as a sign of incompetence, weakness or even behavior that’s annoying.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Noun
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This weakening of currency, combined with inflated jet fuel prices, has also led to one of the country’s major airlines, Air India, to cancel more than a quarter of its international flights between June and August.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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Wall Street’s primary concern is competition from Anthropic and OpenAI weakening demand and pricing power for its customer relationship management software, which for years drove robust growth at high margins.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
What the poll cannot quite capture is the exhaustion driving those beliefs.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
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What happened when exhaustion appeared?—
Irma Davarashvili,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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His trajectory is one of softening, from the swaggering knight of the opening to the irrepressible lover of the second act to his final physical debility.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
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In Will There Ever Be Another You, the main character struggles with an illness similar to long COVID, descending into a state of debility and psychosis as readers experience the chaos of her unraveling life.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 35 points and nine assists but wasn’t enough to carry a Thunder team that limped to the finish line, dealing with fatigue and a slew of injuries.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
31 May 2026
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Most adults including pregnant people either have no symptoms or experience mild, flu-like illness such as fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and muscle or joint aches.—
Dr. Megan Yanny,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debilitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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