devitalize

American

[dee-vahyt-l-ahyz] / diˈvaɪt lˌaɪz /

especially British, devitalise

verb (used with object)

devitalized, devitalizing

to deprive of vitality or vital properties; make lifeless; weaken.

devitalize British

/ diːˈvaɪtəˌlaɪz /

verb

(tr) to lower or destroy the vitality of; make weak or lifeless

the war devitalized the economy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

devitalization

noun

Etymology

Origin of devitalize

First recorded in 1840–50; de- + vitalize

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023