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
Relevance
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
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 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
-
Treating speech like violence undermines a free society.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
1 June 2026
-
Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The Reserve Bank of Australia will likely focus on the strength of private demand before factoring in the conflict, alongside inflation risks stemming from weak productivity and rising unit labor costs, according to Stenner, who expects household consumption to weaken in the second quarter.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
-
Critics counter that scarcity alone does not guarantee value if investor demand weakens.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Surround the plants with well-draining soil.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
4 June 2026
-
Without the ability to point its solar arrays toward the Sun, the tumbling spacecraft likely drained its batteries within hours.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Inside, its modernist lines are softened by lush textiles and the soft curves of furnishings from Urquiola’s designs for Italian brands such as Cassina and Molteni, as well as the vertical gardens developed by botanist Patrick Blanc.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Reports suggest OpenAI's financials are comparatively weaker and that secondary market demand for its shares has softened—while competition for Anthropic secondary shares has been described as fierce.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Jurors exhausted after emotional trial Jurors appeared emotionally exhausted after the verdict.—
Jennifer McLogan,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
Without any changes, that retirement trust fund will be exhausted in 2032, according to the the Social Security Trustees.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Saturday afternoon, the Cubs almost wasted Ben Brown’s 5 1/3 scoreless innings and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two home runs, including another dramatic one with two outs in the ninth inning.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 June 2026
-
Detroit general manager Manon Rhéaume wasted little time in beginning to stock her PWHL expansion team by signing four players Friday — including forward Daryl Watts, landing the league's first four-year contract.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The first film follows a group of French high-school students who travel to Naples on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii and the bodies petrified by Vesuvius.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
20 May 2026
-
Johansson plays her with a tough edge to match her Queens accent, but Hester is clearly petrified by this perfect storm of ugly events.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The impact of that shocking final scene is sufficient to send viewers out feeling enervated after what’s been a pretty desultory final act.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Devitalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalize. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
