DEVITALIZE Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

devitalize

verb

(ˌ)dē-ˈvī-tə-ˌlīz

Definition of devitalize

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

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devitalize

Verb

Seeking to deliberately undermine, delegitimize and destroy is not Madisonian.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
The strike has undermined the junta’s ability to provide public services.

— Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of undermine

Verb

People familiar with the deliberations said lawmakers worried the requirements would raise drug prices and weaken national security by revealing the precise locations where lifesaving medications are made.

— Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026
Macron warned that the attacks would not go unanswered and accused Moscow of trying to intimidate Europeans into weakening their support for Ukraine.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Detectives drained three dams, searched six mineshafts and sent up drones with specialized cameras to take detailed imagery, later analyzed with artificial intelligence.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
The book leans on research about decision fatigue—the idea that even trivial choices drain the mental capacity available for harder ones—to argue that the sheer volume of daily inputs, not just their content, has a cost.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

The Sagittarius Moon trines Chiron in your partnership zone, softening the instinct to package every feeling so perfectly that nobody could possibly object.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
In a nod to the brand’s Brazilian roots, Brazil nut oil (rich in vitamin E and fatty acids including omegas 3 and 6) adds nourishing emollient benefits, while rice bran oil and dimethicone soften skin and keep moisture from escaping.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of soften

Verb

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have become grinding contests over which side can exhaust the other’s military capacity, economic resources, and political will.

— NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
This change responds to the numerous college athlete-plaintiffs who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility, but who seek to continue playing or return to competition.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Fecht wasted little time getting the aerial game going, using a play-action pass to Riley and finding Bell over the top for the easy TD to set the tone.

— Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
At its core, lean management doesn’t aim to create businesses that spend less but businesses that waste less.

— Joe Perkins, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of waste

Verb

Here, a source of primordial terror—the gaze that petrifies—is deflected by way of the highly polished shield that Perseus wields against the creature.

— Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of petrify

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

Definition of enervate

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devising

devitalize

devitalized

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“Devitalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalize. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of devitalize

verb

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