enervating 1 of 2

adjective

as in exhausting

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • Kellogg says that drafting a basic essay is as mentally taxing as digging a ditch is physically exhausting.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Sandra Wollner is having a pretty thrilling — if not a little exhausting — 2026.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhausting
Verb
  • Major European and other confederations accuse Infantino of deception, undermining integrity.
    — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But the coal terminal would take us in the wrong direction, undermining decades of advocacy and millions of dollars of state investment.
    — Veronica Eady, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Anderson said population and labor-force declines, along with the Bay Area’s high housing costs, are weakening both the supply of workers and demand for them in many traditional industries.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than weakening the rule, the authors recommended strengthening it by passing the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would turn the agency regulations into federal law.
    — Dan Peck, ABC News, 20 Aug. 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
  • Clear communication keeps collaboration useful without draining the spark.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • On longer tracks with more straights, such as Spa in Belgium or Silverstone in the United Kingdom, the experience behind the wheel has been more galling for drivers thanks to the batteries draining faster and being charged less.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Now, parts and service departments and finance and insurance packages are becoming more important sources of profit for car dealers, as profits from new vehicle sales show signs of softening.
    — Robert Ferris, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to softening the shape, Zurek also explored new types of leathers and finishes.
    — Talia Abbas, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of softening
Adjective
  • In today's economy, overspending, poor management and an investment that doesn't work out can be financially debilitating.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But any movement that engages her core muscles — bending, turning, stretching — is painful and debilitating.
    — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 31 July 2026
Definition of debilitating
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

Browse Nearby Words

enervates
enervating
enervation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enervating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervating. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on enervating

Nglish: Translation of enervating for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All