devitalizing

verb

present participle of devitalize
1
as in undermining
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 weakening
to diminish the physical strength of she was devitalized by the infection

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devitalizing
  1. undermining
  2. weakening
  3. draining
  4. softening
  5. exhausting
  6. wasting
  7. enervating
  8. deadening
Verb
  • The strikers warned that unpaid wages were undermining morale and affecting patient care.
    — Prosper Heri Ngorora, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Family conflicts related to inheritance are among the most common factors undermining wealth transfers.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Sansoni’s study suggests that years of scrolling on Instagram can weaken our ability to rely on these inner signals, essentially weakening our brain’s ability to accurately perceive its own face and body.
    — Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The danger Pelath is concerned about is when the river banks are saturated, some root systems let go, sending more trees into the river and weakening the banks.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • To deodorize and tackle slow-draining sinks, sprinkle a bit of baking soda down the drain before pouring a generous amount of apple cider vinegar.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, focus on giving your ficus well-draining soil and plenty of bright, partial light.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Wrap loosely in a paper towel and place in a perforated bag or container to help absorb excess moisture, which will slow down softening.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The softening job market may complicate the calculation for the Federal Reserve, which is also battling stubborn inflation.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of softening
Verb
  • The ruling involves 16 men's basketball players who sued the NCAA in Cobb County Superior Court in July after exhausting four seasons of college eligibility.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Countless veterans whom Perry had gotten to know had experienced similarly stark recoveries after exhausting conventional treatments for brain injuries and trauma, and turning to ibogaine.
    — Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhausting
Verb
  • The process has been criticized for wasting workers’ time and raising their expectations but is not required under the law.
    — Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Both of these smart systems allow homeowners to ensure their lawns or gardens are hydrated without wasting water.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of wasting
Verb
  • 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
Definition of enervating
Verb
  • Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sam Lambert laid down a safety squeeze, deadening the ball in front of the plate and scoring Balls to trim the lead to 3-1.
    — Dave Montrose, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
Definition of deadening
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.

Browse Nearby Words

devitalizes
devitalizing
devoid
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Devitalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalizing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All