Vocabulary in context
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Debilitate
To make someone or something weaker or less able to function; to sap strength or vitality.
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Imagine This
Imagine a once-active marathon runner who contracts a chronic illness. Each day, their energy drains a little more, and tasks that used to be easy—standing, walking, training—become a struggle.
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Sounds Like
dih-BIL-ih-teyt
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Looks Like
Rooted in the debil- stem meaning weak; visually related to words like disable and debility.
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Remember This
Debility and debilitation are related nouns; the root debil- means weak. The word appears in medical and formal contexts.
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Other Forms
debilitatedadjective
debilitatingadjective
debilitationnoun
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Connect With
weaken, enfeeble, enervate, impair, incapacitate
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Note
Used with people or things that are weakened by disease, fatigue, or stress. Not interchangeable with 'disable' in every context; debilitate emphasizes gradual weakening rather than a sudden incapacity.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The chemotherapy treatment debilitated the patient, leaving them too weak to walk across the room.
- The long drought debilitated the crops, reducing yields and threatening the harvest.
Synonyms
weakenenfeebleenervateimpairincapacitate
Antonyms
strengthenenergizerevitalize
Etymology
From Latin debilitat- 'a weakening', from debilis 'weak' + -atus; adopted into Old French, then English; first used in English in the 14th century.
Mnemonic
DE-BIL-uh-tate: Imagine a huge medical BILL draining your energy; every bill makes you weaker, so you de-bilitate.
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Tribute
nounSomething given to honor or show respect for a person, event, or achievement; it can also refer to a payment or levy demanded by one ruler from another as homage.
Stimulate
verbTo rouse or spur into action; to increase activity, interest, or development.
Genial
adjectiveSociable, hospitable, and friendly; cheerful and easy to talk to.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Enervate
verbTo cause someone to feel drained of energy or vitality; to weaken or reduce strength or stamina.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
Abscond
verbTo depart secretly or flee, especially to avoid detection or arrest.
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