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
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
Jenny deflected me with enervating ease.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
The results are often enervating though sometimes clumsy.
—Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 3 Feb. 2026
This may reframe his friend’s enervating habit.
—Hope Hunt, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2026
Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.
—Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Bears do not truly hibernate, but instead enervate, or enter a state of torpor, in their dens.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025
Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
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
Jenny deflected me with enervating ease.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
The results are often enervating though sometimes clumsy.
—Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 3 Feb. 2026
This may reframe his friend’s enervating habit.
—Hope Hunt, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2026
Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.
—Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Bears do not truly hibernate, but instead enervate, or enter a state of torpor, in their dens.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025
Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enervate
Verb
-
Court records show Sorsby wagered at least $90,000, including bets on Indiana football, as the NCAA warns the ruling could destabilize college sports and undermine competitive integrity.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
But that kind of moderation bottleneck undermined the Polymath vision.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Over the course of two summers, the Kings weakened the fulcrum of their roster by losing Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency, then exacerbating matters by casting off Jordan Spence for a modest return.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
-
The acid can etch, discolor, or weaken stone and concrete.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Osa Odighizuwa won’t ever be confused for Garrett, but the 49ers are convinced their feeble pass rush will improve thanks to Odighizuwa’s interior work.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
The Rock People were a feeble attempt to cash in on the shapeshifting craze, as Stonedar, Rokkon, and Granita (the latter never immortalized as an action figure) could turn themselves into… er, meteors.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Trapped by high interest rates and the cumulative weight of inflation, the bottom 80 percent of earners are aggressively pulling back on discretionary goods, exhausting credit options and downgrading to private-label and discount brands.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
10 June 2026
-
On Tuesday, the Social Security Administration said the federal program is at risk of exhausting its trust fund as soon as 2023.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
In addition to eliminating subsidies, the White House softened Biden- and Obama-era regulations designed to push traditional automakers into offering more EVs by toughening tailpipe emission standards.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
To soften the impact of the trash fee reduction, city officials plan to send $22 million from the recycling fund to the general fund in both fiscal 2028 and fiscal 2029.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
But given the island’s small size and enfeebled state, the risks seem much smaller than in Iran.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
20 May 2026
-
With this enfeebled mind my only recourse is poetry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If anything, you’re getting called out for committing to people, places and things that have been low-key draining you.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
Just be sure to plant it in well-draining loamy or sandy soil in a location that receives 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The consumer economy, though, is flagging; pork prices have plunged amid a glut and languid spending, in a microcosm of muted demand in the country.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
-
The ruins remain the focus of the trip, but Lake Petén Itzá gives travelers somewhere to relax and expand into the languid pace of the north.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enervate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervate. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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