debilitate
[dih-bil-i-teyt]
- to make weak or feeble; enfeeble: The siege of pneumonia debilitated her completely.
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Origin of debilitate
1525–35; < Latin dēbilitātus (past participle of dēbilitāre), equivalent to dēbilit-, stem of dēbilis weak + -ātus -ate1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for debilitate on Thesaurus.comweaken, deplete, enervate, devitalize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for debilitating
Contemporary Examples
Most will choose simply to endure whatever comes, no matter how painful or debilitating, and that is their right.
Shulgin, however, maintained that the drug could help patients overcome trauma or debilitating guilt.
A debilitating fall and broken hip further strained a meager $125 monthly government stipend.
Each of them has distinctive and debilitating flaws in the eyes of Republican power brokers.
From the age of ten, I have dealt with debilitating periods.
Historical Examples
And you mustn't talk like your own characters; you've no idea how debilitating that is.
The Education of Eric LaneStephen McKenna
The South has not yet recovered from the debilitating influence of his books.
Life On The Mississippi, CompleteMark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
She was wild-eyed, and she shuddered when the express made its debilitating drop.
Strictly BusinessO. Henry
I may add that, though dry, the air was felt by us to be debilitating.
From Sail to Steam, Recollections of Naval LifeCaptain A. T. Mahan
Second, it was exhibiting calomel to the injury (debilitating) of the patient.
The Funny Side of PhysicA. D. Crabtre
debilitating
- tending to weaken or enfeeble
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debilitate
- (tr) to make feeble; weaken
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin dēbilitāre, from dēbilis weak
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
Word Origin and History for debilitating
debilitate
v.
1530s, from Latin debilitatus, past participle of debilitare "to weaken," from debilis "weak" (see debility). Related: Debilitated; debilitating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
debilitating
(dĭ-bĭl′ĭ-tā′tĭng)- Causing a loss of strength or energy.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.