debilitate
verb
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Debilitate, enfeeble, undermine, and sap all share the general sense "to weaken." But while debilitate holds the distinction among these words of coming from the Latin word for "weak"—debilis—it packs a potent punch. Often used of disease or something that strikes like a disease or illness, debilitate might suggest a temporary impairment—but a pervasive one at that. Enfeeble, a very close synonym of debilitate, connotes a pitiable, but often reversible, condition of weakness and helplessness. Undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.
Examples of debilitate in a Sentence
Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
An estimated 40,000 Americans are treated annually for recurrent pericarditis, a severe and debilitating chronic autoinflammatory disease.
—Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
In August 2022, Dion disclosed her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome (SPS) — a neurological disorder that impacts muscle control and can cause debilitating spasms.
—Andrea Wurzburger, People.com, 27 June 2025
Price, 37, has not played since April 2022, as a debilitating knee injury has all but ended his remarkable career, which could culminate in his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debilitate. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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debilitate
verb
Medical Definition
debilitate
transitive verb
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