as in debilitating
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in weakening
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
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 enfeebling
Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
If that is the case, the economic effect will be to draw capital out of emerging market economies, enfeebling them (and their currencies and bond markets).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
If the goal instead is regime weakening—enfeebling the Islamic Republic so the Iranian public could overwhelm it—there are two ways forward.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
If that is the case, the economic effect will be to draw capital out of emerging market economies, enfeebling them (and their currencies and bond markets).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfeebling
Adjective
-
Cobain had struggled for years with depression, substance abuse issues and a debilitating, unexplained stomach ailment.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Living with long COVID Long COVID is often very debilitating, Walkes said.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, the brand has seen month-on-month declines in sales since September 2025, pointing to weakening momentum in its core NEV lineup.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
-
However, some Democrats warn against weakening their candidates when facing a Republican Party that’s flush with cash.—
Leah Askarinam,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
-
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
While even beauty sales are softening, that impulse hasn’t disappeared.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
They are best suited for improving skin texture, softening fine lines and enhancing product absorption, allowing serums and treatments to penetrate more effectively.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
-
But the growth was slightly slower than economists expected, and a measure of prices accelerated at its fastest pace since 2022 in a potentially discouraging signal for inflation.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Both hosts often wept as Guthrie described her emotional journey through the increasingly discouraging investigation into her mother’s whereabouts.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
By the time Ambassador Martin authorized an evacuation, the only way out—since Martin had vetoed a proposal to put refugees on freighters and take them down the Saigon River to the coast (too demoralizing a spectacle)—was by helicopter.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
After the traditionally incredibly dominant US basketball team finished third at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the demoralizing loss forced the best ballers in the country to get serious and learn to work together.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Jude isn’t particularly fond of Bucharest, which is traffic-clogged, bedevilled by corruption, and generally exhausting.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Their lack leaves us too much time to grow weary of Tara — whose unraveling under pressure is understandable, yet has an effect on the viewer more exhausting than empathy-inducing.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enfeebling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfeebling. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
