weaken

American

[wee-kuhn] / ˈwi kən /

verb (used with object)

to make weak or weaker.

Synonyms:

invalidate, minimize, impair, reduce, lower, diminish, lessen, deplete, exhaust, sap, undermine, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble

Antonyms:

strengthen
Phonetics. to change (a speech sound) to an articulation requiring less effort, as from geminate to nongeminate or from stop to fricative.

verb (used without object)

to become weak or weaker.

Synonyms:

sap, undermine, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble, invalidate, minimize, impair, reduce, lower, diminish, lessen, deplete, exhaust

Antonyms:

strengthen

weaken British

/ ˈwiːkən /

verb

to become or cause to become weak or weaker

"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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Etymology

Origin of weaken

First recorded in 1520–30; weak + -en ¹

Explanation

To weaken is to become less powerful or strong. When a storm weakens, the wind dies down and the torrential rain becomes a light drizzle. If you weaken physically, your strength diminishes: "I did great at the start of the obstacle course, but my arms began to weaken toward the end and I couldn't climb that last wall." You can also weaken in resolve or spirit, like when your sister's criticism of your art project weakens your confidence about including it in an exhibition. This verb comes from weak and its Germanic root meaning "yield" or "soft."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023