as in exhaustion
a complete depletion of energy or strength
an outpatient suffering from fever, prostration, and nausea was rushed to the hospital by ambulance
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Recent Examples of prostration
The feats, the ecstasies, the prostrations and abnegations.
—
James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Travelers can also stay overnight to meditate, share meals, learn more about the temple’s Seon sect, and participate in the 108 prostrations.
—Peggy Orenstein, AFAR Media, 6 Jan. 2025
Indeed, the Sabbath was usually one of Hatzolah’s busiest times, possibly due to the overeating that was among the highlights of the day—heart attacks, strokes, ulcer flare-ups, complete prostration due to the cholent and the kugel.
—Tova Reich, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024
By that time, the Russian public had come to regard the 1990s—with its experiment in democracy, the advent of the free market, and its unprecedented openness—as a period of national humiliation that produced undeserved wealth for a few, misery for many, and prostration before foreigners.
—Dmitri Trenin, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2016
The attendees offered heartfelt reverence to the Buddhas, engaged in prostrations, and prayed to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for blessings upon all sentient beings.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023
One death and two cases of heat prostration were called possibly due to the temperature, which was said then to be the highest in the country.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 3 June 2023
This is akin to members of Congress sporting fake kente-cloth shawls and taking a knee in a foul moment of fake reverence for ex-con George Floyd, in an act of politically correct prostration.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Aug. 2022
In extreme cases of grief prostration, one of the Is-There-Anything-I-Can-Do?
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2022
James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Travelers can also stay overnight to meditate, share meals, learn more about the temple’s Seon sect, and participate in the 108 prostrations.
—Peggy Orenstein, AFAR Media, 6 Jan. 2025
Indeed, the Sabbath was usually one of Hatzolah’s busiest times, possibly due to the overeating that was among the highlights of the day—heart attacks, strokes, ulcer flare-ups, complete prostration due to the cholent and the kugel.
—Tova Reich, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024
By that time, the Russian public had come to regard the 1990s—with its experiment in democracy, the advent of the free market, and its unprecedented openness—as a period of national humiliation that produced undeserved wealth for a few, misery for many, and prostration before foreigners.
—Dmitri Trenin, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2016
The attendees offered heartfelt reverence to the Buddhas, engaged in prostrations, and prayed to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for blessings upon all sentient beings.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023
One death and two cases of heat prostration were called possibly due to the temperature, which was said then to be the highest in the country.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 3 June 2023
This is akin to members of Congress sporting fake kente-cloth shawls and taking a knee in a foul moment of fake reverence for ex-con George Floyd, in an act of politically correct prostration.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Aug. 2022
In extreme cases of grief prostration, one of the Is-There-Anything-I-Can-Do?
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostration
Noun
-
Overworking can actually lead to diminishing returns, where exhaustion causes mistakes and reduces efficiency.—
Kent Ingle,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Working too many hours can also contribute to burnout, a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by long-term work stress.—
Louis Tay,
The Conversation,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Side effects included extreme fatigue, nausea, mouth sores, and hair loss. Amber, who had always worn her blonde hair long, cut off 12 inches to prepare.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
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Chronic fatigue, insomnia, burnout, and sleep medication dependency have become so common that they’re often dismissed as the cost of ambition.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prostration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostration. Accessed 26 Aug. 2025.
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