1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in feeble
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enervate
Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 28 Feb. 2021
The saving grace of this often enervating thriller is that Doscher grants time for his actors to build character and intimacy, and both Pinto and Odom offer warm, affectingly natural performances as two people facing the end of their world.
—Teo Bugbee, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2020
To a great extent, that reflects the endless, enervating nature of the Brexit debate.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2020
Jack’s enervating recovery in The Way Back is full of drab, predictable pathos instead of the stylized drama in Dawn of Justice.
—Armond White, National Review, 6 Mar. 2020
Perhaps the most intimate of these photographs presents her after a shower, wet and enervated, rubbing a cloth across her reflection in a mirror, as though the condensation were crud.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020
Then again, enervating her supporters has been Madonna’s M.O. in recent years.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 July 2019
But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . .
—Chris Pope, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2019
Such behavior is particularly enervating when the West aims to bring new countries into permanent and universal—that is, Western-style—guarantees of security and systems of relations.
—I. William Zartman, WSJ, 24 June 2018
Adjective
This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 28 Feb. 2021
The saving grace of this often enervating thriller is that Doscher grants time for his actors to build character and intimacy, and both Pinto and Odom offer warm, affectingly natural performances as two people facing the end of their world.
—Teo Bugbee, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2020
To a great extent, that reflects the endless, enervating nature of the Brexit debate.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2020
Jack’s enervating recovery in The Way Back is full of drab, predictable pathos instead of the stylized drama in Dawn of Justice.
—Armond White, National Review, 6 Mar. 2020
Perhaps the most intimate of these photographs presents her after a shower, wet and enervated, rubbing a cloth across her reflection in a mirror, as though the condensation were crud.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020
Then again, enervating her supporters has been Madonna’s M.O. in recent years.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 July 2019
But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . .
—Chris Pope, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2019
Such behavior is particularly enervating when the West aims to bring new countries into permanent and universal—that is, Western-style—guarantees of security and systems of relations.
—I. William Zartman, WSJ, 24 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enervate
Verb
-
Trump’s suggestion of easing economic restrictions has drawn sharp criticism from European allies, who warn that any premature normalization could undermine the unified Western stance on sanctions and harm Ukraine’s position in ongoing negotiations.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Provost Jenny Martinez is vastly more accepting of athletics than her predecessor, Persis Drell, who might have done more to undermine football than anyone else on campus.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But Goolsbee said Trump’s immigration crackdown likely has affected population growth and the jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean the labor market has substantially weakened.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
-
For Trump, whose political brand has long relied on projecting authenticity to his base, a sustained decline in honesty ratings could weaken his ability to roll out his agenda.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But Morgan Stanley suggested the feeble job gains of the past three months would spur the Fed to act in September despite stable unemployment.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
-
But that looks feeble next to Bitcoin, which made new record highs yesterday, cresting over $122,000 per coin.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
The choice is whether to exhaust yourself trying to conduct every note or to lay down a rhythm that enables your entire team to create something extraordinary together.—
Michael Hudson,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
My mother, exhausted, would simply tell us to go to bed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This multitasking formula from Dermalogica softens and hydrates skin as well as depuffs, brightens, and exfoliates it.—
Esme Benjamin,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
This beloved overnight treatment deeply hydrates and softens dry, flaky lips.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Design can nudge employees toward better creativity, recovery, and well-being, or leave them drained.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Talent, people said, was draining out of the doubles discipline; still, the level of the game remained high, and many fans are devoted to it.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Repeatedly returning to themes of globalization and alienation, the 55-year-old director has meticulously chronicled his country’s uneasy plunge into the 21st century as rampant industrialization risks deadening those left behind.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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By Richard Assheton Read On Little Britain The Breakfast Clubs America’s morning television brightens the day but deadens the soul.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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After a whopper of a week — nights that ended too late and mornings that started too early; shuttling the kids to and fro; seemingly endless cooking, cleaning and commuting — the sweet, languid weekend awaits!—
Zach Przystup,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Aug. 2025
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These are languid, let the sun beat down on you while draping your toes in the cool water below, trips.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Enervate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervate. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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