as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
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Recent Examples of debilitate
More recently, Warren has broadened her critique of Trump’s policies to encompass other areas, including trade, taxes, financial regulation, and the debilitating effect of his over-all blitzkrieg.
—
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
And, much like our collagen, the NAD our body naturally produces starts a precipitous decline by our twenties, debilitated by our lifestyle choices and daily stressors (poor diet, not enough exercise, stress, pollution and so on), dipping steadily with age.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Allure, 2 Apr. 2025
With medical treatment and lost productivity costs of up to $635 billion annually in the United States, pain is expensive as well as debilitating.
—Jessica Dulong, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
This same brain circuit might explain the debilitating apathy that millions of people suffering from various chronic diseases experience.
—Adam Kepecs, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
And, much like our collagen, the NAD our body naturally produces starts a precipitous decline by our twenties, debilitated by our lifestyle choices and daily stressors (poor diet, not enough exercise, stress, pollution and so on), dipping steadily with age.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Allure, 2 Apr. 2025
With medical treatment and lost productivity costs of up to $635 billion annually in the United States, pain is expensive as well as debilitating.
—Jessica Dulong, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
This same brain circuit might explain the debilitating apathy that millions of people suffering from various chronic diseases experience.
—Adam Kepecs, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitate
Verb
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The pests set about sucking the sap from grape roots, slowly weakening them and opening wounds that invited disease.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
28 Apr. 2025
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As more state legislation is passed that weakens or eliminates longstanding fire and life safety codes, the need for young workers who are trained and passionate about reversing these trends is high.—
Jim Pauley,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Grapes are chilled after picking for 24 hours to soften grape skins before whole cluster fermentation.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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In a December call, the Pope lobbied Biden to soften death-row sentences for convicts.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitate. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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