Synonyms of weakening

weakening 1 of 3

noun

as in deterioration

a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body

the all-too-apparent weakening of our grandfather was hard on our mother

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deterioration
• decay
• decline
• decaying
• degeneration
• debilitation
• exhaustion
• enfeeblement
• ebbing
• declension
• atrophy
• descent
• flagging
• drooping
• regression
• setback
• relapse
• limping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improvement
• recovery
• rehabilitation
• strengthening
• revitalization
• recuperation
• rally
• comeback
• progress
• snapback
• invigoration
• rejuvenation
• rejuvenescence

weakening

2 of 3

adjective

as in draining

Related Words

• draining
• debilitating
• deadening
• sapping
• injurious
• deleterious
• pernicious
• enfeebling
• exhausting
• enervating
• numbing
• wearying
• unhealthful
• unhealthy
• unwholesome
• noxious
• insalubrious

Dissimilar Words

• vital
• stimulating
• reviving
• bracing
• refreshing
• tonic
• cordial
• restorative
• stimulative
• rejuvenating
• vitalizing
• strengthening
• invigorating
• conditioning
• life-giving

weakening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of weaken

1

as in softening

to diminish the physical strength of

weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• softening
• wasting
• sapping
• damaging
• tiring
• hurting
• injuring
• debilitating
• exhausting
• enfeebling
• paralyzing
• crippling
• enervating
• impairing
• depleting
• devitalizing
• disabling
• harming
• prostrating
• depressing
• etiolating
• incapacitating
• impoverishing
• hamstringing
• grinding (down)
• invaliding
• laying up
• wearing out
• washing out
• unmanning
• wearing down
• breaking down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthening
• fortifying
• recruiting
• energizing
• invigorating
• hardening
• beefing (up)
• rejuvenating
• vitalizing
• seasoning
• toughening

2

as in fading

to lose bodily strength or vigor

the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fading
• sagging
• failing
• going
• sinking
• deteriorating
• decaying
• drooping
• lagging
• flagging
• withering
• wilting
• languishing
• wasting (away)
• emaciating
• rotting
• degenerating
• yielding
• wearing out
• breaking down
• running down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovering
• rallying
• gaining
• recuperating
• rebounding
• convalescing

3

as in diluting

to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances

weakened the juice with too much water

Synonyms & Similar Words

• diluting
• thinning
• cutting
• infecting
• loading
• poisoning
• polluting
• manipulating
• extending
• spoiling
• adulterating
• dirtying
• degrading
• tainting
• contaminating
• sophisticating
• corrupting
• lacing
• watering down
• soiling
• debasing
• cheapening
• misrepresenting
• tempering
• defiling
• fouling
• counterfeiting
• attenuating
• sullying
• falsifying
• spiking
• moderating
• tampering (with)
• befouling
• qualifying
• faking
• envenoming
• doctoring
• fudging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthening
• reinforcing
• enriching
• fortifying
• augmenting
• fertilizing
• supplementing
• improving
• purifying
• cleaning
• enhancing
• richening
• clarifying
• refining
• filtering
• cleansing
• purging
• flushing
• leaching
• larding
• distilling
• bettering
• pasteurizing
• concentrating
• decontaminating
• condensing
• compacting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of weakening

Noun

Numbers released by the company behind Gatorade and Doritos showed weakening trends in its North American food and drinks businesses. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Spongy or uneven surfaces are caused by structural weakening from internal damage. — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2026

Press freedoms across Africa are already fragile, with most nations ranking in the lower half of an influential press freedoms index, while numerous recent coups have contributed to a weakening of democratic norms in parts of the continent. — Jenny Vaughan, semafor.com, 29 June 2026

One of the most significant changes during Hill’s tenure was the weakening of structures designed to elevate teacher concerns to district leadership, Oreskovic said. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 19 June 2026

Friday, a weakening ridge and an approaching front will allow scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop. — Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 9 June 2026

But the United States' retreat from the worldwide public health stage amid the outbreak in Africa and a worldwide measles outbreak has some experts concerned any weakening of public health makes the America susceptible to infectious diseases. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 6 June 2026

India’s economy has been under strain since the start of the Iran war, as energy supply disruptions have led to the weakening of the rupee against the dollar, and there are mounting concerns about slowing growth and rising inflation. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 4 June 2026

However, beginning in 1989, the weakening and eventual fall of the Soviet Union marked a return to energy insecurity, and electricity produced in Cuba fell by 25% by 1994. — Luisa Blanco, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026

Verb

The Knesset also recently passed several bills connected with Netanyahu’s attempts to overhaul the judiciary, including increasing government control over broadcast media and weakening the role of the attorney general. — ABC News, 17 July 2026

European commitment is weakening, with record Russian LNG purchases and growing pro-Russian political factions. — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Shoppers are buying fewer items than a year ago, and grocery sales are declining as weakening unit sales are now outweighing rising prices. — Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 16 July 2026

To resume rate cuts, Fed policymakers would have to see inflation slowing toward their 2% annual target or growing signs of a weakening economy. — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Thunderstorms are weakening in the warning area, but flooding is still expected as runoff continues. — Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026

The campaign centers on the Supreme Court’s April ruling weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a key provision used to challenge voting laws and electoral maps that discriminate on the basis ​of race or dilute minority voting power. — Reuters, NBC news, 15 July 2026

The effect results in the typical east-to-west trade winds weakening or even sometimes reversing, allowing warmer water from the western Pacific to move eastward. — Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

As of Tuesday, forecasts indicate that the Category 5-strength Typhoon Bavi is expected to maintain super typhoon intensity of strong winds and torrential rain for two or three days before gradually weakening around Friday. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 July 2026