as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the all-too-apparent weakening of our grandfather was hard on our mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in draining
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in softening
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in diluting
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
weakened the juice with too much water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of weakening
Jenny Vaughan,
semafor.com,
29 June 2026
One of the most significant changes during Hill’s tenure was the weakening of structures designed to elevate teacher concerns to district leadership, Oreskovic said.
—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
Friday, a weakening ridge and an approaching front will allow scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop.
—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
But the United States' retreat from the worldwide public health stage amid the outbreak in Africa and a worldwide measles outbreak has some experts concerned any weakening of public health makes the America susceptible to infectious diseases.
—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
India’s economy has been under strain since the start of the Iran war, as energy supply disruptions have led to the weakening of the rupee against the dollar, and there are mounting concerns about slowing growth and rising inflation.
—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
However, beginning in 1989, the weakening and eventual fall of the Soviet Union marked a return to energy insecurity, and electricity produced in Cuba fell by 25% by 1994.
—
Luisa Blanco,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Protects against rot and water infiltration, reducing the risk of weakening, structural failure, and decay.
—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
29 May 2026
Wall Street’s primary concern is competition from Anthropic and OpenAI weakening demand and pricing power for its customer relationship management software, which for years drove robust growth at high margins.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Jason Kirsch,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining its military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount assaults along the front.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
While most areas will remain dry through the end of this week, there is a chance for weakening showers and storms over far northwestern Missouri each evening, the weather service said.
—
Kansas City Star,
1 July 2026
Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount front-line assaults.
—
Dasha Litvinova,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
But without knowing the future rules of the road, investors are sitting on the sidelines, which is weakening the country’s growth strategy tied to nearshoring.
—
Pamela K. Starr,
The Conversation,
30 June 2026
Negotiating with Iran at the table, in his view, risks strengthening Iran’s role in Lebanon and weakening Lebanon’s own government.
—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2026
Several countermeasures aimed at overturning or weakening the billionaire tax have also made the November ballot.
—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
26 June 2026
Viewed together, those figures can reveal whether demand is strengthening or weakening, whether production is keeping pace, and whether businesses are growing more confident or more cautious.
—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 June 2026
Noun
Press freedoms across Africa are already fragile, with most nations ranking in the lower half of an influential press freedoms index, while numerous recent coups have contributed to a weakening of democratic norms in parts of the continent.
—
Jenny Vaughan,
semafor.com,
29 June 2026
One of the most significant changes during Hill’s tenure was the weakening of structures designed to elevate teacher concerns to district leadership, Oreskovic said.
—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
Friday, a weakening ridge and an approaching front will allow scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop.
—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
But the United States' retreat from the worldwide public health stage amid the outbreak in Africa and a worldwide measles outbreak has some experts concerned any weakening of public health makes the America susceptible to infectious diseases.
—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
India’s economy has been under strain since the start of the Iran war, as energy supply disruptions have led to the weakening of the rupee against the dollar, and there are mounting concerns about slowing growth and rising inflation.
—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
However, beginning in 1989, the weakening and eventual fall of the Soviet Union marked a return to energy insecurity, and electricity produced in Cuba fell by 25% by 1994.
—
Luisa Blanco,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Protects against rot and water infiltration, reducing the risk of weakening, structural failure, and decay.
—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
29 May 2026
Wall Street’s primary concern is competition from Anthropic and OpenAI weakening demand and pricing power for its customer relationship management software, which for years drove robust growth at high margins.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Verb
Goldman Sachs predicts a sustained dollar weakening in 2026, driven by fiscal concerns and shifting global asset demand, marking a structural shift rather than a cyclical dip.
—
Jason Kirsch,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining its military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount assaults along the front.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
While most areas will remain dry through the end of this week, there is a chance for weakening showers and storms over far northwestern Missouri each evening, the weather service said.
—
Kansas City Star,
1 July 2026
Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount front-line assaults.
—
Dasha Litvinova,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
But without knowing the future rules of the road, investors are sitting on the sidelines, which is weakening the country’s growth strategy tied to nearshoring.
—
Pamela K. Starr,
The Conversation,
30 June 2026
Negotiating with Iran at the table, in his view, risks strengthening Iran’s role in Lebanon and weakening Lebanon’s own government.
—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2026
Several countermeasures aimed at overturning or weakening the billionaire tax have also made the November ballot.
—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
26 June 2026
Viewed together, those figures can reveal whether demand is strengthening or weakening, whether production is keeping pace, and whether businesses are growing more confident or more cautious.
—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakening
Noun
-
But nothing competes with the painful deterioration of her sight after contracting scarlet fever.
-
In addition, city officials can now require owners to install security measures to help protect vacant buildings from further deterioration or trespassing.
Adjective
-
Others are voluntarily asking to see more patients because the most draining and time-consuming parts of their job are now handled by AI.
-
Already carrying wider spans of control and shrinking development support, a manager operating against an outdated role definition is doing something more draining than managing a heavy workload.
Verb
-
And that's especially critical this July with inflation surging again, wages softening and higher borrowing costs expected to remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.
-
Most at-home versions last around one to four weeks, depending on hair type, product strength, and aftercare, with results gradually softening as the brow hairs return to their natural direction.
Verb
-
More than a week after the disaster, search-and-rescue operations remain active, though hopes of finding additional survivors are rapidly fading.
-
Thousands remain missing more than a week after the twin earthquakes struck Venezuela and hope for finding survivors is fading into and effort to recover remains.
Verb
-
Han credits the international team with sharpening his instincts rather than diluting them.
-
When that foundation is in place, brands can respond market by market without fragmenting the organization or diluting the brand experience.
Adjective
-
Their assets, systems and networks are considered so essential that their disruption would have a debilitating impact on national security, public safety or the economy.
-
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a personalized T-cell therapy from Orca Bio, a private biotech company, that reduces the risk of a debilitating immune reaction in patients with blood cancers undergoing stem cell transplants.
Verb
-
Official processes for making purchases are bureaucratic and slow, and procurement teams often decide to take matters into their own hands, wasting money in the process.
-
China is not wasting any time in getting this plank of the plan off to a robust start, and that matters.
Verb
-
An InStyle writer recommends the RoC Derm Correxion Retinol Firming Serum Stick for her grandma’s sagging turkey neck.
-
Meanwhile, sagging electrical lines threatened to bring some rail services to a standstill.
Cite this Entry
“Weakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakening. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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