weaken

verb

weak·​en ˈwē-kən 

weakened; weakening

ˈwēk-niŋ,

ˈwē-kə-  ; weakens

transitive verb

1

: to make weak : lessen the strength of

2

: to reduce in intensity or effectiveness

intransitive verb

: to become weak

weakener

ˈwēk-nər

ˈwē-kə- 

noun

Synonyms

• debilitate
• devitalize
• enervate
• enfeeble
• etiolate
• prostrate
• sap
• soften
• tire
• waste

Choose the Right Synonym for weaken

weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, undermine, sap, disable 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

enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

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

disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

Examples of weaken in a Sentence

The disease weakens the immune system.

Some are concerned that the increase in taxes will weaken the economy.

The beams had been weakened by water damage.

efforts to weaken environmental laws

The recent setbacks have not weakened our resolve.

These kinds of contradictions weaken your argument.

The disease causes the immune system to weaken.

The dollar has continued to weaken against the euro.

Lower interest rates have weakened the dollar.

Recent Examples on the Web

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Europe has struggled to fend off influence operations by Moscow aimed at weakening Western unity and resolve. —Erika Solomon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

The struggles threaten to weaken the $1.6 trillion mailing and package industries that underpin the Postal Service and its reach to more than 160 million addresses each day. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024

The condition can worsen and weaken the skin barrier for people who already suffer from eczema or are prone to flare-ups. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024

But as attention faded on those incidents, the railroad industry was consistently able to weaken or delay important safety provisions. —Pete Buttigieg, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024

Iranian leaders are exploiting and escalating the war in Gaza to elevate their regime’s stature, weaken and delegitimize Israel, undermine U.S. interests, and further shape the regional order in their favor. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024

Many younger Americans are also skipping booze, weakening demand for customers looking to sober up with a meal after a night of bar-hopping. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024

Second, statistical analyses developed by Wake Forest University professor Staci Hepler revealed spatial associations between Thomson’s gazelles and wildebeest that were strong in high rainfall years and weakened in years with widespread fires. —T. Michael Anderson, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024

Last on to-do lists, first to weaken civic trust And what is going on, say many involved in the battle, is arguably a failure of society, of democracy – a breakdown of civic trust and cooperation. —Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

weaken

verb

weak·​en ˈwē-kən 

weakened; weakening ˈwēk-(ə-)niŋ 

: to make or become weak or weaker