1
as in to soften
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
weakened the juice with too much water
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weaken
First, the skull weakens and distorts sound waves.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
The labor market did in fact weaken over the past year or so —and the official numbers confirmed it.
—Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Unions argue that the law will weaken the workers’ protections that have defined Argentina since the rise of Peronism, the country’s dominant populist political movement, in the 1940s.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
If audience trust has now weakened, even slightly, the consequences will come in stages.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for weaken
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
The labor market did in fact weaken over the past year or so —and the official numbers confirmed it.
—Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Unions argue that the law will weaken the workers’ protections that have defined Argentina since the rise of Peronism, the country’s dominant populist political movement, in the 1940s.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
If audience trust has now weakened, even slightly, the consequences will come in stages.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for weaken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weaken
Verb
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Impersonal Surroundings Hard floors, bare walls, and furnishings that do nothing to soften the space can create a home office that feels anything but welcoming.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
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What could have been a biting portrait of the glorification of female beauty is softened by a simple happy ending—in a world where no ending can possibly be simple, whether happy or not.—
Sarah Chihaya,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Three days later, Litmus Test faded to third place in his first start of the year, the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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What sympathy there may have been for a cornered, bruised Iranian regime among its neighbors has faded in the face of Tehran’s escalation.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Racist revelations aside, Von Dutch also suffered from its own success; those ubiquitous trucker hats diluted the brand and triggered market fatigue, while internal infighting between investors and executives stalled corporate growth.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
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While most vegetables contain 80 to 90 percent water, overwatering adds too much moisture and dilutes the flavor of the harvest.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Reaves injured his arm late in the fourth quarter after stripping the basketball away from Williamson.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Over the course of just one minute, the gunman sailed down the city’s bustling Sixth Street and then exited his car, firing off even more bullets, ultimately killing three people and injuring 13 others before he was fatally shot by police.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There can be sagging along the lower face or the development of jowls.—
Elizabeth Gulino,
Allure,
6 Mar. 2026
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In fall 2023, the company laid off an undisclosed number of workers and a few months later furloughed many of the workers at its massive Jackson County plant as part of efforts to cut production to match the sagging demand for electric vehicles.—
Mirtha Donastorg,
AJC.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Many people and animals remain asymptomatic when they’re infected.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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In a statement, Bis claimed medical staff were quarantining all detainees that may have come into contact with those infected.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What should state leaders do when a lucrative industry generating some $9 billion in gross sales is linked to a rise in a painful, often debilitating medical condition?—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
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Hormonal chaos collides with maximum responsibility and minimum infrastructure, and what used to be manageable becomes debilitating.—
Sarah Oreck,
SELF,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Ducks improved to 8-0 in shootouts this season despite going just two for six against Montreal, with even Mason McTavish failing to score for the first time in six tries this season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Doctors had little to offer Reid beyond steroids, which reduce inflammation but can cause bone fractures and diabetes, and a select few immunosuppressant drugs, which expose patients to infections and often fail to halt the disease’s progression.—
Jason Liebowitz,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Weaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weaken. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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