as in exhausting
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enervating
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
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
Adjective
-
An exhausting, preachy, frankly, boring and outdated version of his former self.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Suddenly, mixed signals are exhausting, because actions speak louder than words.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Verb
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My ongoing efforts entail identifying ways that AI is helping mental well-being, in addition to ways that AI is simultaneously undermining mental well-being, see the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Rivalry between India-China, competing interests of Iran-UAE, and divisions over Russia’s Ukraine war are undermining the alliance’s push to counter Western dominance.—
Sheikh Saaliq,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
No ‘victory image’ for Tehran Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Forecasters say geomagnetic activity is gradually weakening, but lingering disturbances in Earth's magnetic field could still spark visible displays overnight, particularly in northern regions.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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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
Verb
-
Succulents require a well-draining soil with a lightweight texture.—
Peg Aloi,
The Spruce,
12 May 2026
-
Plant in fast-draining potting soil, and give full sun and moderate water.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Additionally, there was mention of softening or pricing pressures stemming from the conflict with Iran, which has driven oil prices higher.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
The moisture activates the surfactants and softening agents embedded in the sheet.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the third, and most debilitating, patients withdraw from the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Cobain had struggled for years with depression, substance abuse issues and a debilitating, unexplained stomach ailment.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Another suggestion was requiring special sound-deadening balls, currently available, that lower the decibel levels considerably.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Both nationally and in Minnesota , there has been a shift away from intelligent discussion of public policy to endless partisan warfare with a deadening impact on the public.—
Arne Carlson,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enervating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervating. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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