- 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.
The breakouts happen more frequently here, and they become more debilitating.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
After the IUD was placed, she remembers horrific, debilitating cramps.
From Slate • Jun. 7, 2026
The drug, called mirvetuximab soravtansine, is a known as a "biological missile" as it delivers chemotherapy drugs direct to the cancerous tissue rather than to the whole body - reducing debilitating side-effects.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Early industrial work was repetitive, physically taxing and mentally debilitating.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
His mother had had a debilitating stroke when Ed was eleven; one of seven children.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
