weaken

[ wee-kuhn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make weak or weaker.

   Synonyms: invalidate, minimize, impair, reduce, lower, diminish, lessen, deplete, exhaust, sap, undermine, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble

   Antonyms: strengthen

2. Phonetics. to change (a speech sound) to an articulation requiring less effort, as from geminate to nongeminate or from stop to fricative.

verb (used without object)

1. to become weak or weaker.

   Synonyms: invalidate, minimize, impair, reduce, lower, diminish, lessen, deplete, exhaust, sap, undermine, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble

   Antonyms: strengthen

weaken

/ ˈwiːkən /

verb

1. to become or cause to become weak or weaker

Derived Forms

• ˈweakener, noun

Other Words From

• weaken·er noun
• re·weaken verb
• un·weakened adjective
• un·weaken·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of weaken¹

First recorded in 1520–30; weak + -en ¹

Example Sentences

Democrats split over moves to weaken Wall Street reforms, and Republicans pouted over lost leverage.

From The Daily Beast

But his voice never seems to crack or weaken, and he's always in motion—jiggling, aerobic walking, jumping, dancing.

From The Daily Beast

But the attacks could also weaken the most potent opponents to the dictator Bashar al-Assad.

From The Daily Beast

Assassinations of community leaders both weaken local coordination against ISIS and deter potential informants.

From The Daily Beast

Assad has been accused of knowingly leaving room for ISIS to grow, the better to weaken the less radical rebels.

From The Daily Beast

Cornstalk was too wise a warrior to weaken his forces for a score of scalps when a general engagement was pending.

From Project Gutenberg

Wait,” said the latter one evening, “and let him develop his attack; we should only weaken ourselves by going out to meet him.

From Project Gutenberg

As the sun dropped out of the sky, the bull felt his knees begin to weaken.

From Project Gutenberg

They "supped full of horrors," and listened greedily to tales of death, which served to weaken and terrify.

From Project Gutenberg

The softness of the implication she swept aside, as if she hardly dared regard it lest it weaken her resolve.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abate
• decline
• decrease
• depress
• dilute
• diminish
• dwindle
• halt
• impair
• lessen
• lower
• reduce
• sap
• soften
• undermine
• wane