1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
overuse has devitalized many a once-striking figure of speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
she was devitalized by the infection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devitalize
This can devitalize the plant to the point of it starting to die back.
—
oregonlive, 5 Feb. 2023
Miller’s writing début may have been precipitated by her assault, but the final work devitalizes its horrific beginnings.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
His lip was completely destroyed with multiple linear lacerations, jagged lacerations, devitalized tissue, denervated tissue with a 12 cm laceration in multiple pieces of the entire left upper lift, the mucosal surface, and orbicularis.
—Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, 1 June 2017
oregonlive, 5 Feb. 2023
Miller’s writing début may have been precipitated by her assault, but the final work devitalizes its horrific beginnings.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
His lip was completely destroyed with multiple linear lacerations, jagged lacerations, devitalized tissue, denervated tissue with a 12 cm laceration in multiple pieces of the entire left upper lift, the mucosal surface, and orbicularis.
—Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, 1 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devitalize
Verb
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Long-range drone and missile strikes have been a key element of the conflict as both Kyiv and Moscow seek to degrade the other's economy and undermine their ability to prosecute and fund the ongoing war.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
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However, those efforts could be undermined by a recent increase in 2-year yields that threatens to compress excess spreads, according to Bank of America.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hungary is a major importer of Russian energy and the sanctions would have impacted the country's already weakening economy.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
But instead, the resolution was further weakened to eliminate any reference to Security Council authorization — which is an order for action — and limit its provisions to the Strait of Hormuz.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Avoid heavy and poorly draining soil.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
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But the ongoing crisis is a shock to the current account, as oil and product inflows have drained, said Brad Setser, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Your 7th House of Partnership softens as the Moon arrives, increasing the happiness in one-to-one bonds, platonic or not.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Cora offered confidence in his ace but didn’t soften the dire position in which the club finds itself.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Floyd also reasoned that the case shouldn’t be regarded as moot, even though the players have exhausted their NCAA eligibility.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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The Horned Frogs must also replace key players who exhausted their eligibility in Big 12 Player of the Year Olivia Miles, Taylor Bigby, 6-7 center Kennedy Basham and Suarez.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He’s wired to keep a day from being wasted.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Usually, when a player is on a minutes restriction (following injury — as was the case with Chawinga), a team will keep that player on the pitch through halftime, so as not to waste one of its three allotted substitution windows per match.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
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The former slingshots between harmony and hysteria; the latter petrifies its beauty under a haze of ashy gray powder.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Campbell, the North Carolina folk singer, describes an enervating process marked by back-and-forth exchanges and lots of waiting.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Jenny deflected me with enervating ease.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devitalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalize. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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