as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit said many of the plaintiffs experienced debilitating panic attacks and insomnia, among other physical ailments.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
These results mean that by tracking the capsule motion and projecting it on a headset for the astronauts inside, our team may be able to reduce debilitating motion sickness by roughly half.
—Taylor Lonner, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Tamura, who started football at age 6 and played through high school, reported having frequent, debilitating headaches as an adult.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Verb
Battling the debilitating symptoms of a late-stage brain tumor, his grasp on reality becomes increasingly fragile, and as the unlikely duo sets out on the run, old memories blur with the present, dredging up dark secrets from his past.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit said many of the plaintiffs experienced debilitating panic attacks and insomnia, among other physical ailments.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
These results mean that by tracking the capsule motion and projecting it on a headset for the astronauts inside, our team may be able to reduce debilitating motion sickness by roughly half.
—Taylor Lonner, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Tamura, who started football at age 6 and played through high school, reported having frequent, debilitating headaches as an adult.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitate
Verb
-
With some estimates putting wave heights as much as 35 feet, weakened hatch covers would have been vulnerable to such waves.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The years of horrific violence have weakened Sudan, plunging its institutions into chaos and making its population more vulnerable and poorer.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Some of it is also related to the age and deterioration of much of the grid, which now requires rebuilding.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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The deterioration in the labor market has been concentrated in payroll employment, which is the [datapoint] that is the most susceptible to demographic and immigration changes.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The problem with that is that good teams — the winning franchises — build their teams inside-out by fortifying the offensive and defensive lines, which just happen to be the areas of weakness this season.—
Omar Kelly
November 7,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Exports weren’t the only area that saw surprise weakness.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The seasonal shift to cheaper winter-blend gasoline could help offset cost increases related to the refinery fire, softening the impact for drivers.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The seat is made of high-density foam that softens with use and has a supportive spring underpinning.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
After improvements in passenger totals in 2021, 2022, and 2023, San Jose and Oakland both began to suffer slumps in 2024 and the weakening pattern has lingered well into 2025, a review of official airport statistics shows.—
HECTOR AMEZCUA,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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After improvements in passenger totals in 2021, 2022, and 2023, San Jose and Oakland both began to suffer slumps in 2024 and the weakening pattern has lingered well into 2025, a review of official airport statistics shows.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her troubles—sleepless nights, endless exhaustion—could simply be the result of young parenthood.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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Trade timing & outlook After breaking out to new all-time highs, momentum appears overextended, and signs of buyer exhaustion suggest a potential pullback.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.—
Jenny Noyce,
JSTOR Daily,
28 June 2024
Noun
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But Vanderbilt, as attention, pressure and fatigue rise on a pursuit no one outside its camp expected, is essentially two teams with two games left in the 2025 regular season.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Despite widespread fatigue over tipping prompts, Americans still tend to be generous when dining out at restaurants.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitate. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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