enfeeble

[ en-fee-buhl ]

/ ɛnˈfi bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enfeeble ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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

Nearby words

enewetak, enface, enfant perdu, enfant sauvage, enfant terrible, enfeebled, enfeebled, enfeoff, enfetter, enfever, enfield

Origin of enfeeble

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

SYNONYMS FOR enfeeble

enervate, debilitate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enfeeble ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsen·fee·ble·ment, nounen·fee·bler, nounun·en·fee·bled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for enfeebled

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|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|DAILY BEAST
The invasion of chaotic, enfeebled Haiti was a short-term success.
The Danger of Syria Intervention|Christopher Dickey|August 16, 2012|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|DAILY BEAST

Enfeebled by sickness, he exposed himself; touched by compassion, he relieved the sufferer.
The Story of My Life|Egerton Ryerson
A dull apathy had succeeded that fiery energy of soul which had enfeebled and well–nigh worn out her body.
John Marchmont's Legacy, Volumes I-III|Mary E. Braddon
But I soon found that the exposures along the front were too great for my system, in its enfeebled condition.
Thirty Years in the Itinerancy|Wesson Gage Miller
He was then a respectable old man, the weight of whose years had enfeebled his memory.
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Isaac D'Israeli
But the voice was so enfeebled by disease as to be scarcely audible.
The Monctons: A Novel, Volume I|Susanna Moodie

British Dictionary definitions for enfeebled

enfeeble

/ (ɪnˈfiːbəl) /

verb

(tr) to make weak; deprive of strength

Derived Formsenfeeblement, nounenfeebler, 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

Word Origin and History for enfeebled

enfeeble

mid-14c., from Old French enfeblir "become weak," from en- (see en- (1)) + feble (see feeble). Related: Enfeebled; enfeebling.

enfeeble

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of enfeeble

Examples from the Web for enfeebled

British Dictionary definitions for enfeebled

enfeeble

verb

Word Origin and History for enfeebled

enfeeble