as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the debilitation that all the prisoners of war had experienced during their captivity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
attributed the patient's general debilitation to an iron deficiency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debilitate
Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
Expectations of access have grown debilitating, so have the ramifications of such access.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
With the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX and the company being under direct FAA scrutiny, demand outweighing supply, and debilitating labor shortages, the industry fell from its record highs to new lows.
—Alex Krutz, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Patients like Cerulli will often have symptoms like debilitating back pain and stiffness that worsen with rest.
—Brittany Risher, SELF, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for debilitate 
Verb
Some researchers fear that CWD could permanently debilitate deer herds across the U.S.
Thus far, humans have been spared.
—Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
Expectations of access have grown debilitating, so have the ramifications of such access.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
With the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX and the company being under direct FAA scrutiny, demand outweighing supply, and debilitating labor shortages, the industry fell from its record highs to new lows.
—Alex Krutz, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Patients like Cerulli will often have symptoms like debilitating back pain and stiffness that worsen with rest.
—Brittany Risher, SELF, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for debilitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitate
Verb
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However, critics worry bringing minority parties into the majority tent weakens legislative scrutiny.—
Charlie Campbell,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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With rising conflicts and weakened diplomacy, the global order is set to fragment in 2025, intensifying economic volatility.—
Sarwant Singh,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Based on the deterioration of the relationship, a trade — as soon as possible — would appear the preferred alternative, particularly with this latest two-game suspension to otherwise put Butler back in play for the Heat as soon as Monday night’s game against the Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2025
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For women, especially, working could, therefore, be dangerous for them physically and could lead to the deterioration of their health: a result that could adversely affect their roles as mothers and their subsequent responsibility to raise future generations, especially boys.—
Eva Epker,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But Price acknowledged that the case revealed multiple weaknesses in how police handled homicide investigations at the time, leading to widespread reforms that remain in place today.—
Michael Gordon,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Jan. 2025
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This will involve complete assessments of endpoints, employee training, or network access controls that represent the weaknesses.—
William Jones,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In people who give birth, this joint softens and becomes extra flexible.—
Bethany Brookshire,
Scientific American,
25 Jan. 2025
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Samsung softened the corners of the S25 Ultra compared with its predecessors.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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This breeds feelings of frustration and emotional exhaustion.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
25 Jan. 2025
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However, exhaustion from the long-haul flight prompted him to explore an alternative: an Uber.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.—
Jenny Noyce,
JSTOR Daily,
28 June 2024
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According to this view, the outside world has been generous to Africa, providing substantial aid in recent decades, leaving no excuse for the continent’s debility.—
Howard W. French,
Foreign Affairs,
16 June 2015
Noun
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Woll showing signs of fatigue This isn’t a surprise given Woll entered this season having played just 36 regular-season games in the NHL.—
James Mirtle,
The Athletic,
17 Jan. 2025
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In a landscape of dating app fatigue and romance scams, the anachronistic-seeming personals section — which is thriving in Vermont — can look like the way of the dating future.—
Wendy Lu,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near debilitate
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitate. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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