enfeebled 1 of 2

enfeebled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of enfeeble

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 enfeebled
Adjective
By 1877, the hope for Black equality met an enfeebled federal government that essentially permitted Jim Crow to run amok. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 9 June 2026 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, 14 Jan. 2026 Chargers guards and center Bradley Bozeman, a trio whose job was made more difficult by subpar play by both offensive tackles, looked enfeebled against Indianapolis Colt tackle DeForest Buckner. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025 During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
The costs of maintaining an enormous Cold War army and navy enfeebled an already unstable Soviet economy. Gregory A. Daddis, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfeebled
Adjective
  • Still, the opposite tack—sanctions and isolation—has neither made the Iranian regime weaker nor made its behavior better.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • And it should never be used to paper over weak management, chronic overload, or unresolved conflict.
    Rick Tollakson, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • All three, the panel noted, have weakened or dropped earlier pledges to halt development on their own if certain red lines came into view, and in recent years softened their resistance to military uses.
    Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026
  • It is weakened by surprises, side channels, performative challenge and unclear authority.
    David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Adjective
  • Lei's team propose that this glitch either strengthened or reoriented, or both, the magnetic field of the Blue Eye Pulsar sufficiently to trigger radio emissions, or at least make feeble radio waves that were already there detectable.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 6 July 2026
  • Gin up such a feeble procedural explanation for the sudden reversal that the entire sporting globe becomes incensed over the garbage-y scent of an inside job.
    Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Clashes flared only to be tamped out; repercussions were softened, often comedically, as an outsider crashed the debate.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
  • Add the onion, green pepper, and celery, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Adjective
  • In the past few years, her father, Gabriele, a seventy-seven-year-old doctor, has grown frail with age.
    Gaia Alari, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
  • The law had said medically frail people include those who have substance use disorders, disabilities or serious medical conditions.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Adjective
  • Multiple disabled riders spoke with the panel and complained about inadequate warnings.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • After surviving a career-ending stroke, the former officer founded The Wounded Blue, the nation's only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to injured and disabled law enforcement officers.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Enfeebled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfeebled. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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