WEAKEN Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'weaken' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of weaken are cripple , debilitate , disable , enfeeble , sap , and undermine . While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power. // a disease that weakens the body's defenses

Q: When would 'cripple' be a good substitute for 'weaken'?

While in some cases nearly identical to weaken , cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element. // crippled by arthritis

Q: Where would 'debilitate' be a reasonable alternative to 'weaken'?

The words debilitate and weaken can be used in similar contexts, but debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality. // the debilitating effects of surgery

Q: When could 'disable' be used to replace 'weaken'?

While the synonyms disable and weaken are close in meaning, disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability. // disabled by an injury sustained at work

Q: When might 'enfeeble' be a better fit than 'weaken'?

The synonyms enfeeble and weaken are sometimes interchangeable, but enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness. // enfeebled by starvation

Q: How are the words 'undermine' and 'sap' related as synonyms of 'weaken'?

Both undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously. // a poor diet undermines your health // drugs had sapped his ability to think

weaken

verb

ˈwē-kən

Definition of weaken

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

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

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word weaken distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of weaken are cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, sap, and undermine. While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

When would cripple be a good substitute for weaken?

While in some cases nearly identical to weaken, cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element.

crippled by arthritis

Where would debilitate be a reasonable alternative to weaken?

The words debilitate and weaken can be used in similar contexts, but debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

When could disable be used to replace weaken?

While the synonyms disable and weaken are close in meaning, disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

When might enfeeble be a better fit than weaken?

The synonyms enfeeble and weaken are sometimes interchangeable, but enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

How are the words undermine and sap related as synonyms of weaken?

Both undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health

drugs had sapped his ability to think

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 weaken Goldman Sachs predicts a sustained dollar weakening in 2026, driven by fiscal concerns and shifting global asset demand, marking a structural shift rather than a cyclical dip. — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 The flow of dark traffic is one of the factors that helped explain why oil markets had weakened significantly by early June, together with a surge in exports from the US and pullback in buying by China. — Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026 These early precedents in fictional brutality also weaken Thomson’s next point, about literature’s superiority. — Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 Ukraine has taken out almost 30% of Russia’s refining capacity over the past few weeks, leading to widespread fuel shortages that have weakened Russian President Vladimir Putin’s standing, sparking rare signs of dissent. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for weaken

Recent Examples of Synonyms for weaken

Verb

With more than 2,000 excess deaths recorded over six days at the peak of the June heat, according to health authorities, France’s cultural resistance to AC has started to soften.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
The ingredient list includes avocado, which is rich in fats and helps boost flexibility—thereby helping to prevent breakage—as well as sweet almond oil and shea butter for moisturizing and softening.

— Eden Stuart, Glamour, 7 July 2026

Definition of soften

Verb

Markets had become comfortable with the idea that the conflict would gradually fade into the background but recent developments suggest that assumption may have been premature.

— Hugh Leask,Chloe Taylor,Lee Ying Shan,Yun Li, CNBC, 7 July 2026
As the dance went on, more voices joined in and the music gradually faded, eventually disappearing.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Definition of fade

Verb

On Sunday, Russia bombarded Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv with dozens of missiles and hundreds of strike drones, killing at least 11 and injuring scores more, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and media reports.

— Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 7 July 2026
The shootings, which also injured four people, occurred at two Fourth of July block parties about two miles apart, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

They've also been angered by Kennedy's attempts to link vaccines to autism, going against decades of research that show no such link, and his framing of autism as a debilitating disease.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Fati, once a prodigious talent who broke numerous records and inherited Lionel Messi's number 10 shirt, saw his promising career at the club severely impacted by a series of debilitating knee injuries.

— Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of debilitate

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“Weaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weaken. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of weaken

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