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Synonyms

enervating

British  
/ ˈɛnəˌveɪtɪŋ /

adjective

  1. tending to deprive of strength or vitality; physically or mentally weakening; debilitating

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It gives the musical a rousing finish, but cannot erase the enervating effect of much of what has come before.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

Yet when he spoke following the haphazard 2-1 Europa League defeat on Thursday, there was a enervating familiarity about how the Rangers head coach explained away the outcome.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

Rachel — despite her challenges with Celeste, her old lover David, her ailing ex-husband and her enervating work life — also discovers good things about her new life as her body changes.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2023

This time, the exercise is a different proposition, and thankfully nowhere near as enervating.

From New York Times • May 13, 2023

And so she appeased Tochi, putting America down, talking only about the things she, too, disliked about America, exaggerating her non-American accent, until the conversation became an enervating charade.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie