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

Joel Embiid Brought to Tears After Son Arthur, 2, Joins Him During MVP Ceremony Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes muscles to weaken on one side of the face, according to the Mayo Clinic. —Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024

In the past six weeks, the euro has weakened more than 2 percent against the dollar. —Eshe Nelson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024

Until World War II, many of these parties were also skeptical about liberal democracy since elections and majority rule might produce policies that would weaken the role of the church and religion in society. —Sheri Berman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Tuesday will also reveal more information about Tesla’s finances, which may have weakened in recent months. —William Gavin, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024

If Republicans move ahead with political amendments or measures that weaken the bill, known as poison pills, the minority party won't provide the votes when Johnson needs them, according to roughly a dozen Democrats familiar with the situation. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024

The storms gradually weakened, and the threat of severe weather decreased as people headed out the doors for their morning trips. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024

The reports says a new 211-mile road would allow open-pit mines, reduce subsistence access for 66 remote villages, further weaken permafrost, and require thousands of damaging crossings over streams, rivers and wetlands, which could endanger the state's second-largest caribou herd. —USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024

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

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