enervating 1 of 2

adjective

as in exhausting

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enervating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of enervate
1
as in undermining
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul

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2
as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards

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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 enervating
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, 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 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 enervating
  1. exhausting
  2. undermining
  3. weakening
  4. fatiguing
  5. draining
  6. softening
  7. debilitating
  8. deadening
Adjective
  • Their need to be seen and feel special can be charming at times, but exhausting when every conversation somehow circles back to them.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • This dominance is physically and mentally exhausting for opponents, who are left chasing shadows as Spain’s technicians pass around them with precision.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of exhausting
Verb
  • The act grants the NCAA absolute control over athlete eligibility through this antitrust shield, undermining federal and state law, specifically Title IX and who can compete in the women’s category.
    — Katie Uhlaender OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
  • At least a dozen attacks on Ebola treatment centers and health workers in Congo’s Ituri province are undermining containment efforts, raising fresh alarm over safety at the outbreak’s epicenter.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Or would that strategy end up weakening the forces tasked with holding the line against Russia?
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • Sleep deprivation makes leaders less perceptive and human, weakening their presence and effectiveness with people, whereas quality sleep is essential for fostering authentic, influential leadership.
    — Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of weakening
Adjective
  • But the most mentally fatiguing aspect, the work found, was having to constantly supervise the AI tools, with some employees overseeing multiple AI agents performing different tasks at the same time.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Mar. 2026
  • My friend was in course of opening up his country house unassisted, and after a fatiguing day discovered that the only practical bed was a child’s affair— long enough but scarcely wider than a crib.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Definition of fatiguing
Verb
  • That includes the wound draining fluid, having a foul odor or getting bigger.
    — Sarah Tomlinson, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
  • How To Care For Onions In Pots Onions prefer well-draining, loamy, and slightly acidic to neutral soil, such as potting soil with compost mixed in.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 July 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Lander did not feel the need to appease the Zionist mob by softening his rhetoric.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • The singer styled a floral tank top from Chloé with black stovepipe jeans, softening the dark wash with a touch of flower power.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 20 July 2026
Definition of softening
Adjective
  • The illness identified as cyclosporiasis as reported can be quite debilitating.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Their assets, systems and networks are considered so essential that their disruption would have a debilitating impact on national security, public safety or the economy.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of debilitating
Verb
  • 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
  • Another suggestion was requiring special sound-deadening balls, currently available, that lower the decibel levels considerably.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of deadening

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Cite this Entry

“Enervating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervating. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on enervating

Nglish: Translation of enervating for Spanish Speakers

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