debilitating

adjective

de·​bil·​i·​tat·​ing di-ˈbi-lə-ˌtā-tiŋ 

dē-

: causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function

debilitating pain

a debilitating fear of public speaking

a debilitating illness

Thirty years have passed since a vaccine wiped out polio, but some of those who conquered the debilitating disease as children are now experiencing symptoms that seem all too familiar.

—Fay Knicely

Several of these drugs are now in clinical testing to determine whether they can reduce or eliminate the debilitating nausea suffered by cancer patients on chemotherapy.

—Ron Cowen

debilitatingly adverb

Debilitatingly asthmatic as a child, Scarfe developed his talent while amusing himself and acquired the cynicism for authority that empowers his … drawings and sculpture during many frightening encounters with medical incompetence.

—Ray Olson

Did you know?

The verb debilitate (and its adjective form debilitating) comes from the Latin word for "weak," debilis. Often used of disease—as in, "the patient was debilitated"—it can also suggest something that strikes like a disease or illness, "the actor was debilitated by stage fright." In sum, the word suggests a temporary impairment or a condition of weakness and helplessness.

Examples of debilitating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Depression can be a debilitating, chronic, episodic condition, and preventing it could save money, health and lives. —Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024

But while some women fake it from time-to-time, for others the lack of ability to reach orgasm is a far more debilitating issue. —Sarah Sinclair, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

The protagonist, John Merrick, an Englishman who lived in the Victorian era, had a disease that caused unusual and debilitating growths on his body and his head, and, as a result he was mocked and shunned, treated as a curiosity, and put on display in a circus. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024

Watch Half Nelson on Peacock Lars and the Real Girl In 2007’s Lars and the Real Girl, Gosling plays Lars, an isolated young man with a debilitating amount of social anxiety. —Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024

But what if dating didn’t have to feel so debilitating? —Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024

Arthritis is a debilitating condition that affects millions of people each year. —Danielle Zoellner, Verywell Health, 26 Mar. 2024

During the decade of menstruation leading up to my OB-GYN visit for the pill, my periods had become pretty debilitating. —Caroline Colvin, Health, 9 Mar. 2024

The findings may offer clues about long COVID By Kamal Nahas Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating multisystem disorder from which adults rarely recover. —Kamal Nahas, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

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