debilitate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- debilitant noun
- debilitation noun
- debilitative adjective
- nondebilitating adjective
- nondebilitative adjective
- overdebilitate verb (used with object)
- undebilitated adjective
- undebilitating adjective
- undebilitative adjective
Etymology
Origin of debilitate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin dēbilitātus (past participle of dēbilitāre ), equivalent to dēbilit-, stem of dēbilis “weak” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To debilitate something is to make it weaker. A bad flu may debilitate your powers of concentration, like the New Year's resolutions that temporarily debilitate bakeries' business. The verb debilitate traces back to the Latin word debilis, meaning “lame, disabled, crippled.” It’s often used to describe what disability or illness does to a person's health, but it can describe anything that has been weakened, like the sense of community that is slowly debilitated by people working longer hours and the lack of sidewalks that in many towns make it harder to walk around and meet the neighbors.
Vocabulary lists containing debilitate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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"Flag" Day Words
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #3
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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.
Both brothers died of Hungtington’s disease, a genetic disorder that began to severely debilitate them during their 30s.
From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025
Surrender to dissidents and allow a small group of extremists to debilitate his office.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023
But new evidence suggests a bone disease that can debilitate modern cats and dogs, and even some of their humans, may have also played a role.
From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2023
But such remarks debilitate and isolate students, making them feel as if they don’t belong in an area where they should feel welcomed.
From Seattle Times • May 14, 2023
He needed to be better about that, about letting the nightmares debilitate him.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
