ENFEEBLING Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

enfeebling 1 of 2

adjective

as in debilitating

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

enfeebling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of enfeeble

as in weakening

to diminish the physical strength of long periods of being confined to a hospital bed will enfeeble anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of enfeebling

Verb

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 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 In Church’s day, that separation depended on promoting a robust idea of American innocence over Europe’s enfeebling corruption. — Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfeebling

Adjective

Their assets, systems and networks are considered so essential that their disruption would have a debilitating impact on national security, public safety or the economy.

— Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a personalized T-cell therapy from Orca Bio, a private biotech company, that reduces the risk of a debilitating immune reaction in patients with blood cancers undergoing stem cell transplants.

— Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 1 July 2026

Definition of debilitating

Verb

Goldman Sachs predicts a sustained dollar weakening in 2026, driven by fiscal concerns and shifting global asset demand, marking a structural shift rather than a cyclical dip.

— Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining its military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount assaults along the front.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of weakening

Adjective

Others are voluntarily asking to see more patients because the most draining and time-consuming parts of their job are now handled by AI.

— FJ Campbell, Fortune, 20 May 2026
Already carrying wider spans of control and shrinking development support, a manager operating against an outdated role definition is doing something more draining than managing a heavy workload.

— Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

The ingredient list includes avocado, which is rich in fats and helps boost flexibility—thereby helping to prevent breakage—as well as sweet almond oil and shea butter for moisturizing and softening.

— Eden Stuart, Glamour, 7 July 2026
In addition to softening and romanticizing looks, these bottoms are extremely comfortable.

— Irene Richardson, InStyle, 4 July 2026

Definition of softening

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

Definition of fatiguing

Adjective

The Lions would go on to suffer a demoralizing 4-1 loss to Germany that same year in a round of 16 match staged at an altitude of 4,600 feet.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 July 2026
The early goal from Germany was a bit demoralizing for the South American team, but Nilson Angulo was able to shake it off with a beautiful shot in the ninth minute to equalize.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 June 2026

Definition of demoralizing

Adjective

The first half of the day could feel mentally overwhelming or oddly exhausting.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
The wines can show herbs without tasting aggressively grassy, ripe fruit without becoming a fruit cocktail and minerality without being exhausting to drink.

— Devin Parr, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of exhausting

Browse Nearby Words

enfeebles

enfeebling

enfetter

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Enfeebling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfeebling. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of enfeebling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on enfeebling

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tacit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes