1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
overuse has devitalized many a once-striking figure of speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
she was devitalized by the infection
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devitalize
This can devitalize the plant to the point of it starting to die back.
—
oregonlive, 5 Feb. 2023
Miller’s writing début may have been precipitated by her assault, but the final work devitalizes its horrific beginnings.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
His lip was completely destroyed with multiple linear lacerations, jagged lacerations, devitalized tissue, denervated tissue with a 12 cm laceration in multiple pieces of the entire left upper lift, the mucosal surface, and orbicularis.
—Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, 1 June 2017
oregonlive, 5 Feb. 2023
Miller’s writing début may have been precipitated by her assault, but the final work devitalizes its horrific beginnings.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
His lip was completely destroyed with multiple linear lacerations, jagged lacerations, devitalized tissue, denervated tissue with a 12 cm laceration in multiple pieces of the entire left upper lift, the mucosal surface, and orbicularis.
—Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, 1 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devitalize
Verb
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The talks are set to take place amid concerns that the Kremlin is weaponizing ceasefire negotiations to delay and undermine negotiations for a settlement to the war.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
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You will be expected to trust your agents, for the alternative would be micromanagement, and that would undermine the whole process.—
Jaron Lanier,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Seth Jones, president of the defense and security department of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says a trade war that punishes U.S. partners in the region threatens to weaken ties with Asian allies, possibly forcing them to reassess the reliability of U.S. security commitments.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
22 Mar. 2025
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His health weakened by overwork and physical ailments, McCombs spent much of the last months of his life under medical care.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Chirping at opposing fans after draining 3-pointers?—
Jay King,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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But with Young draining a 3-pointer with 2:45 to play, the Hawks drew within 114-109.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That eventually softened because of the relationships that grew over the 10 years that Cristina was on television.—
Patrick Gomez,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Walker Kessler’s 3-point barrage Words soften over time.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With tennis becoming longer and more physical, best-of-five matches wreck players’ bodies, leaving them exhausted by the end of the tournament.—
Gavriella Epstein-Lightman,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
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Do my team members feel energized or exhausted by our culture?—
Nell Derick Debevoise,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Baltimore's special purpose funds are easily abused or wasted and city needs to bring tighter control of this longstanding problem.—
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Mar. 2025
-
These are the invisible pillars that keep millions of children from slipping into wasting, stunting, and life-threatening deficiencies.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Some three-dimensional metallic roses grew on their shiny reflective surfaces, with an important symbolism that served as a fit rouge for the entire collection: as fragile objects suddenly petrified, their hardened fragility was the designer’s own.—
Giorgia Feroldi,
Vogue,
1 Mar. 2025
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He was petrified by the thought of dying of cancer or some other disease whose senselessness disgusted him.—
Ian Buruma,
The New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public.—
Cameron Hilditch,
National Review,
28 Feb. 2021
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The saving grace of this often enervating thriller is that Doscher grants time for his actors to build character and intimacy, and both Pinto and Odom offer warm, affectingly natural performances as two people facing the end of their world.—
Teo Bugbee,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Devitalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalize. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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