enfeeble

[ en-fee-buhl ]

See synonyms for: enfeeble enfeebled enfeeblement on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),en·fee·bled, en·fee·bling.

to make feeble; weaken: That bout of pneumonia enfeebled him.

Origin of enfeeble

1300–50; Middle English enfeblen<Old French enfeblir.See en-¹, feeble

Other words for enfeeble

enervate, debilitate

See synonyms for enfeeble on Thesaurus.com

Other words from enfeeble

en·fee·ble·ment, noun
enfeebler, noun
un·en·fee·bled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enfeeble in a sentence

But by not bothering to run anyone, state Democratic parties remain enfeebled.
Brooklyn’s Lazy Carpetbagger Sets His Sights on an Alaska Senate Seat | David Freedlander | December 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nor does it make any sense for Saudi Arabia to turn to an enfeebled Europe, and the Saudis also know this all too well.
Saudi Fears and Mysteries | Leslie H. Gelb | October 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It has liberated the master as well as the slave from a relation which wronged and enfeebled both.
The Best - And Worst - Post-Civil War Presidential Speeches on Race | David Frum | January 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The invasion of chaotic, enfeebled Haiti was a short-term success.
The Danger of Syria Intervention | Christopher Dickey | August 16, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Middle East has a long history of strong nations fighting proxy wars on the territory of enfeebled ones.
Syria: There Goes the Neighborhood | Christopher Dickey | August 10, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

A quick vision of death smote her soul, and for a second of time appalled and enfeebled her senses.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
Old people declared that he reminded them of Hauge in his earlier days, before he had been enfeebled by persecution.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
Vessels carrying his servants and baggage were dispersed by a storm, and the rough weather told upon his enfeebled frame.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3) | Richard Bagwell
His wife sorrowed over this new passion; her health, already much enfeebled, soon broke down.
Villa Rubein and Other Stories | John Galsworthy
I give th' old an' enfeebled English gintleman that carried me satchel a piece iv silver.
Mr. Dooley Says | Finley Dunne

British Dictionary definitions for enfeeble

enfeeble

/ (ɪnˈfiːbəl) /

verb

(tr) to make weak; deprive of strength

Derived forms of enfeeble

enfeeblement, noun
enfeebler, noun

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

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