as in weak
lacking bodily strength
the enfeebled old woman now needs a companion to help her with everyday tasks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in weakened
to diminish the physical strength of
long periods of being confined to a hospital bed will enfeeble anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enfeebled
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
Gregory A. Daddis, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2022
Adjective
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
-
Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA is widely expected to be more competitive next season — from the bottom tier, where anti-tanking regulations and a weaker draft class should curb teams’ intentional losing, to the upper echelons, where Oklahoma City and San Antonio stand tall.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Conditions change quickly, signals conflict with each other, and weak assumptions tend to get exposed without much delay.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
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People who have weakened immune systems and who experienced intense pain during an initial outbreak are also more susceptible to getting shingles a second (or even third) time.—
Petra Guglielmetti,
Glamour,
7 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, the institutional guardrails have been weakened.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
So, in retrospect, [the entire Lightning project] looked pretty feeble.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
-
His visit also comes as the committee stalls on advancing Casey Means, Kennedy’s nominee for surgeon general, over her lack of medical practice experience and feeble answers on the importance of vaccination.—
Daniel Payne,
STAT,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And what with all the love and pain, something in me softened—or maybe decayed.—
Eva Wiseman,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
-
And the Blue Monster was no longer a monster, not with everything softened by the rain.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Exceptions will be made for people who are too medically frail to work or in addiction treatment programs, among others.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Exceptions will be made for people who are too medically frail to work or in addiction treatment programs, among others.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Singh said the man lived alone with his disabled son, who required round-the-clock care and supervision.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
More than 4,100 Miami-Dade residents, all of whom are formerly homeless and disabled, live in permanent housing units paid for by the program.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enfeebled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfeebled. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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