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.
She maintained a punishing schedule into her late 70s, until a debilitating stroke left her confined to her home, with Rogers running the company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Still, the disinflationary factors noted suggest “the inflationary fallout from the contemporary oil crisis may prove far less debilitating than widely feared.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
A tearful Savannah Guthrie described the debilitating agony that haunts her at night.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Cuba’s leaders say the country has not received a single fuel shipment in three months, debilitating an economy that depends on oil to generate the electricity.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
Her diseases are usually tropical and debilitating, but only occasionally deadly.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
