- present participle of debilitate.
debilitating
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's debilitating seriously affects someone or something's strength or ability to carry on with regular activities, like a debilitating illness. Debilitating comes from the Latin word debilis, meaning "weak." That's why you'll often see the adjective used to describe illness. After all, serious diseases weaken the body. Other things that can be debilitating are those that can stop you from reaching a goal, like a debilitating snow storm that forces you to stay home, or debilitating shyness that keeps you from reaching out to the people you want to meet.
Vocabulary lists containing debilitating
This Week in Words: February 5 - 9, 2018
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Feeling Faint: Synonyms for "Weak"
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Scythe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Debilitating claustrophobia prompted him to eventually begin taking his own bus around the country.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023
Debilitating economic troubles provided a bleak backdrop to Tuesday’s vote.
From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2022
Debilitating is: you cannot go outside, you can't go to work, you can't interact with your family, you can't have relationships.
From Salon • Oct. 3, 2021
Debilitating back surgeries sidetracked what was a 20-year run of working NBA games, nationally as well as with the Clippers locally on Prime Ticket in the 1990s.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2018
Debilitating diseases favor the production of this affection in some animals.
From Lameness of the Horse Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1 by Lacroix, John Victor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
