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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in softening
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in draining
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weakening
Sarah Min, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Within 24 hours, the storm was expected to begin a slow weakening.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Powell's recent speeches, and recent data indicating a weakening of the economy, suggest that the next move by the Fed will likely be to lower interest rates in September.
—Robert Hormats, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Fast weakening is expected to begin on Thursday, and Lorena could weaken back to a tropical storm by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, the labor market is displaying signs of weakening, which argues for lower rates.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
In addition to overall weakening, shoes can trigger other issues.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
This isn’t about weakening rights or ignoring the role of guns.
—For The Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
Quarter-over-quarter growth figures point to a sequential weakening, the team led by economist Jonathan Pingle added, particularly in domestic demand, which has dropped from above 3% last year to around 1% in recent quarters.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Total job growth was revised lower by the largest amount in history, The revisions erased 911 thousand jobs over the full year period, adding to mounting concerns of a weakening labor market and fueling questions as to the reliability of monthly data being used to gauge employment.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The labor market is weakening; today’s revisions were bleak.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Investors expect a rate cut by the Fed at its next meeting in September, although that’s partially because of weakening job numbers.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
In a November 2024 paper, Miran detailed how a tariff-centric approach, aimed at weakening the dollar, could reshape the global trading system in favor of the United States.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
America’s retreat from WHO deepens the damage by weakening global systems for monitoring outbreaks, reviewing evidence and maintaining databases such as the Global Burden of Disease.
—Stan Chu Ilo, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
In July's upper-house election, opposition parties campaigning on consumption tax cuts made significant gains, weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Powell had previously cited risks of inflation from tariffs and a weakening labor market as reasons for not lowering rates.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Those trades were made ahead of Friday’s big jobs report for August, which showed the labor market weakening.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Within 24 hours, the storm was expected to begin a slow weakening.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Powell's recent speeches, and recent data indicating a weakening of the economy, suggest that the next move by the Fed will likely be to lower interest rates in September.
—Robert Hormats, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Fast weakening is expected to begin on Thursday, and Lorena could weaken back to a tropical storm by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, the labor market is displaying signs of weakening, which argues for lower rates.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
In addition to overall weakening, shoes can trigger other issues.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
This isn’t about weakening rights or ignoring the role of guns.
—For The Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
Quarter-over-quarter growth figures point to a sequential weakening, the team led by economist Jonathan Pingle added, particularly in domestic demand, which has dropped from above 3% last year to around 1% in recent quarters.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Then the hurricane continued on a more northward path around the islands and finally began weakening after powerful 145 mph winds tapered off.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Total job growth was revised lower by the largest amount in history, The revisions erased 911 thousand jobs over the full year period, adding to mounting concerns of a weakening labor market and fueling questions as to the reliability of monthly data being used to gauge employment.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The labor market is weakening; today’s revisions were bleak.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Investors expect a rate cut by the Fed at its next meeting in September, although that’s partially because of weakening job numbers.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
In a November 2024 paper, Miran detailed how a tariff-centric approach, aimed at weakening the dollar, could reshape the global trading system in favor of the United States.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
America’s retreat from WHO deepens the damage by weakening global systems for monitoring outbreaks, reviewing evidence and maintaining databases such as the Global Burden of Disease.
—Stan Chu Ilo, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
In July's upper-house election, opposition parties campaigning on consumption tax cuts made significant gains, weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Powell had previously cited risks of inflation from tariffs and a weakening labor market as reasons for not lowering rates.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakening
Noun
-
Initial jobless claims indicate only a minimal pickup in layoffs and/or deterioration in labor conditions at present, a positive dynamic.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The largest member of the grass family, bamboo is combustible, susceptible to deterioration and weaker in rain, raising legitimate questions about its durability, Arup’s Ho said.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The economic environment remains foggy, with uncertainty around tariffs and a labor market that, while softening in some areas, remains remarkably resilient in others.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
This stands in sharp contrast to struggling sectors like multifamily, which are contending with softening rents and oversupply in formerly high-growth markets.—
Andrew DeNardo,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This revealed that, even as the X-ray emissions of 4U 1630-472 were fading, the system was still ejecting material at an incredible 20 million mph (32 million kph) — about 3% the speed of light, and 15,000 times faster than the top speed of an F-16 jet fighter!—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
All of these weaknesses are either gone or fading fast.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Long-term vitality comes from widening the circle of decision-makers without diluting the core mission.—
Ken Polk,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The true impact lies in the quiet slicing and dicing of communities, fracturing coalitions, diluting voices, and disenfranchising voters.—
Matt Klink,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
To avoid wasting time and money, leaders need a simple rule.—
Rishit Lakhani,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
But slow oxygen chemistry has remained a stubborn bottleneck, wasting energy and shortening battery life.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Fed reduces rates to bolster a sagging economy and raises rates or keeps them higher for longer to curb inflation.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Other issues with rotting, sagging and deterioration were present in other buildings, according to the inspections.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Water is rapidly replacing ice along the coastal plain of southeastern Alaska, where glaciers are thinning and retreating, with meltwater forming lakes off of their fronts, NASA says.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Pruning, thinning fruit, and watering during dry spells are key to good fruit production.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Weakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakening. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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