as in debilitating
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as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
long periods of being confined to a hospital bed will enfeeble anyone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enfeebling
Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
If that is the case, the economic effect will be to draw capital out of emerging market economies, enfeebling them (and their currencies and bond markets).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
If the goal instead is regime weakening—enfeebling the Islamic Republic so the Iranian public could overwhelm it—there are two ways forward.
—Dennis Ross, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
If that is the case, the economic effect will be to draw capital out of emerging market economies, enfeebling them (and their currencies and bond markets).
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfeebling
Adjective
-
Cobain had struggled for years with depression, substance abuse issues and a debilitating, unexplained stomach ailment.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Living with long COVID Long COVID is often very debilitating, Walkes said.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Natural Ways to Get Rid of Onion Grass These invasive weeds are fast-growing and rob your grass of water, nutrients, and sunlight, weakening your garden over time, says Brian Feldman, senior director of technical operations at TruGreen.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Muscle loss and bone weakening Numerous studies have documented that rapid weight loss from Ozempic and other medications can cause significant muscle loss, especially in people who don’t increase their protein intake.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
-
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
After a decade of animosity, opinion polls show Americans’ views of China are softening, especially among the young.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
With hindsight perhaps softening memories of sunstroke, cast members and a number of below-the-line crew now fairly rhapsodize about the uniqueness of the shoot.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the most mentally fatiguing aspect, the work found, was having to constantly supervise the AI tools, with some employees overseeing multiple AI agents performing different tasks at the same time.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My friend was in course of opening up his country house unassisted, and after a fatiguing day discovered that the only practical bed was a child’s affair— long enough but scarcely wider than a crib.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And the results are downright discouraging.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
But the growth was slightly slower than economists expected, and a measure of prices accelerated at its fastest pace since 2022 in a potentially discouraging signal for inflation.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Other times, the long wait for permanent housing proves demoralizing.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
By the time Ambassador Martin authorized an evacuation, the only way out—since Martin had vetoed a proposal to put refugees on freighters and take them down the Saigon River to the coast (too demoralizing a spectacle)—was by helicopter.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But this Roundabout production at Studio 54 — the site of glittering debauchery of another era — just isn’t all that much fun, being mostly effortful, maddening and finally exhausting.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Keeping a secret like this is exhausting.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enfeebling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfeebling. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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