enfeeble

[en-fee-buhl]

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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

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

Synonyms for enfeeble

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enervate, debilitate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for enfeebled

exhaust, debilitate, unnerve, incapacitate, attenuate, cripple, devitalize, disable, fatigue, deplete, diminish, sap, blunt, unhinge, undermine, weaken

Examples from the Web for enfeebled

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

Historical Examples of enfeebled

The Duke of Lerma, infirm and enfeebled by years, was unable to confront his foes.
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
In a flash it had come to me who that enfeebled gentleman was.
Bardelys the Magnificent
Rafael Sabatini
In the selfishness of her enfeebled spirit, Kate still rejoiced.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
But the voice was so enfeebled by disease as to be scarcely audible.
The Monctons: A Novel, Volume I
Susanna Moodie
A diseased body causes a disordered mind and an enfeebled will.
Practical Ethics
William DeWitt Hyde

British Dictionary definitions for enfeebled

enfeeble

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.