as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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 debilitate
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Tributes started pouring in soon after the announcement came out, and many expressed the same shock that someone so vibrant and powerful on screen could have been privately dealing with a debilitating illness off screen.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Kelly, along with her roommate Peter, was one of the few people who knew all of this, and the debilitating depression underneath.
—River Selby
august 25, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Andy Fata-Chan is a physical therapist and the founder of Moment Physical Therapy and Performance, which specializes in helping patients with chronic debilitating pain get back to high performance.
—Andy Fata-Chan, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Verb
The budget passed without the financially debilitating $200 million loan necessary to cover the pension payment.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Tributes started pouring in soon after the announcement came out, and many expressed the same shock that someone so vibrant and powerful on screen could have been privately dealing with a debilitating illness off screen.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Kelly, along with her roommate Peter, was one of the few people who knew all of this, and the debilitating depression underneath.
—River Selby
august 25, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Andy Fata-Chan is a physical therapist and the founder of Moment Physical Therapy and Performance, which specializes in helping patients with chronic debilitating pain get back to high performance.
—Andy Fata-Chan, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitate
Verb
-
Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Initial jobless claims indicate only a minimal pickup in layoffs and/or deterioration in labor conditions at present, a positive dynamic.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The largest member of the grass family, bamboo is combustible, susceptible to deterioration and weaker in rain, raising legitimate questions about its durability, Arup’s Ho said.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The addition of shutdown closer Jhoan Duran has turned their bullpen from a weakness into a roster strength.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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The milestone marks a symbolic win for the blue-chip index, highlighting the market’s resilience despite tariff concerns and signs of weakness in the economy.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What’s more, a lot of Americans still have mortgage rates that are low enough to make the idea of a move daunting, and affordability overall hasn’t improved much even as the economy has softened.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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The economic environment remains foggy, with uncertainty around tariffs and a labor market that, while softening in some areas, remains remarkably resilient in others.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Those trades were made ahead of Friday’s big jobs report for August, which showed the labor market weakening.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
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Within 24 hours, the storm was expected to begin a slow weakening.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The pain goes deeper than exhaustion.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Men tumble into each other, frantically fighting to get back up, while others faint from exhaustion.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.—
Jenny Noyce,
JSTOR Daily,
28 June 2024
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President Biden’s troubles — lingering inflation, wars and rumors of wars, his debility — could have benefited any Republican.—
David Harsanyi,
National Review,
25 Jan. 2024
Noun
-
Both women opened up their seasons with monstrous times, with no sign of post-Olympic fatigue.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Physical and psychological illnesses including depression, anxiety, fatigue and oral health issues were also tied to later eating.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitate. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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