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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of debilitate
Gloria L. Huang, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Mangione reportedly suffered from debilitating back pain and underwent surgery to treat it in recent years.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
And while Mangione, like millions of people, apparently suffered from debilitating back pain, excellent health care is not generally an issue for Americans of great wealth.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 14 Dec. 2024
Since then, more information has emerged about a young man from a well-to-do Baltimore family who appeared to suffer from debilitating back pain and suddenly disappeared about six months ago.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debilitate 
Verb
While juvenile anxiety in all its forms, from mild worry to debilitating panic attacks, has historically not always been something that was openly discussed or publicly accepted in everyday life, its presence in art has followed a different trajectory.
—Gloria L. Huang, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Mangione reportedly suffered from debilitating back pain and underwent surgery to treat it in recent years.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
And while Mangione, like millions of people, apparently suffered from debilitating back pain, excellent health care is not generally an issue for Americans of great wealth.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 14 Dec. 2024
Since then, more information has emerged about a young man from a well-to-do Baltimore family who appeared to suffer from debilitating back pain and suddenly disappeared about six months ago.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debilitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitate
Verb
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The widening yield differentials between Chinese and U.S. sovereign bonds could risk encouraging capital outflows and put further pressure on the yuan that has been weakening against the greenback.Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
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Elon Musk, one of Trump’s confidants, has already met with Iran’s UN ambassador; now that Israel has weakened Tehran and pummeled its proxies in the Middle East, a diplomatic breakthrough may be achievable.Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Algorithms are used to predict patients' risk of death or deterioration, to suggest diagnoses or triage patients, to record and summarize visits to save doctors work, and to approve insurance claims.Darius Tahir | KFF Health News, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
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The measures, which include banning the maintenance of the aircraft and the supply of new planes, are likely to continue the deterioration of Russia's aviation industry.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 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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But dunking has become another item on a laundry list of weaknesses for Williams to fix.Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Can a crispy chicken sandwich or a whisky cocktail soften the blow of existential despair?Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
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The surge in immigrants arriving in Colorado last year softened the enrollment decline in the state’s public schools, which for years have been losing students — and funding — as birth rates fall across the nation.Jessica Seaman, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The fires have left Mayorga with a painful mix of anxiety, depression and exhaustion.Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
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And burnout isn’t just a trendy buzzword; this is a very real, very draining state of exhaustion that dims your spark.Ankur Bindal, Forbes, 10 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 22 Jan. 2025.
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