1
as in undermines
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 weakens
to diminish the physical strength of
the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enervates
Verb
-
Any behavior that undermines these standards will be addressed swiftly and seriously.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026 -
Dismantling these systems not only threatens health, but also undermines trust, often for reasons that have more to do with self-interest than science, with seeming imperviousness to the real costs in human lives lost.—
Chelsea Clinton,
Vanity Fair,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Privacy advocates argue that any ambiguity around storage or deletion timelines weakens public confidence.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Sending young people far from home weakens support systems and makes outcomes worse.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The cleaning pro explains that the oil softens the adhesive in sticky messes, and the baking soda provides some gentle scrubbing ability.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Over the past year, sellers received about 97% of original list price on average, though that figure typically softens during winter months.—
Allison Palmer
Updated February 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Such a conviction, which appears in many more novels than Smallwood’s, drains fiction of life.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
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Many gardeners are plagued with sandy soil that drains too quickly, clay soil that retains water too long, or soil that simply doesn’t produce very vigorous plants.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The former slingshots between harmony and hysteria; the latter petrifies its beauty under a haze of ashy gray powder.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
28 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Enervates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervates. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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