debilitate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- debilitant noun
- debilitation noun
- debilitative adjective
- nondebilitating adjective
- nondebilitative adjective
- overdebilitate verb (used with object)
- undebilitated adjective
- undebilitating adjective
- undebilitative adjective
Etymology
Origin of debilitate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin dēbilitātus (past participle of dēbilitāre ), equivalent to dēbilit-, stem of dēbilis “weak” + -ātus -ate 1
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.
Some experts believe it is a debilitating reaction to steroid creams - the first-line treatment for many of the eight million people who have eczema in the UK.
From BBC
Still, the disinflationary factors noted suggest “the inflationary fallout from the contemporary oil crisis may prove far less debilitating than widely feared.”
From MarketWatch
Although symptoms vary from person to person, endometriosis can be severe and debilitating.
From BBC
"It's embarrassing, it's debilitating, it's humiliating," she said.
From BBC
A tearful Savannah Guthrie described the debilitating agony that haunts her at night.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
