debilitate

debilitate
[[t]dɪbɪ̱lɪteɪt[/t]]
debilitates, debilitating, debilitated
1) VERB: usu passive If you are debilitated by something such as an illness, it causes your body or mind to become gradually weaker. [FORMAL]

[be V-ed by n] Stewart took over yesterday when Russell was debilitated by a stomach virus.

Derived words:
debilitating ADJ-GRADED

A debilitating illness has been the cause of Tim Gould's current loss of form.

debilitated ADJ-GRADED

Occasionally a patient is so debilitated that he must be fed intravenously.

2) VERB To debilitate an organization, society, or government means to gradually make it weaker. [FORMAL]

[V n] ...their efforts to debilitate the political will of the Western alliance.

Derived words:
debilitating ADJ-GRADED

...people exhausted by years of debilitating economic crisis.

debilitated ADJ-GRADED

...an engineered takeover, designed to keep a debilitated ruling party in power.


English dictionary. 2008.

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  • debilitate — DEBILITÁTE, debilităţi, s.f. Faptul de fi debil; stare de slăbiciune a organismului, însoţită de scăderea rezistenţei la eforturi şi la boli, datorită subnutriţiei, unor boli cronice etc. ♢ Debilitate mintală = formă de înapoiere mintală, mai… …   Dicționar Român

  • Debilitate — De*bil i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Debilitated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Debilitating}.] [L. debilitatus, p. p. of debilitare to debilitate, fr. debilis. See {Debility}.] To impair the strength of; to weaken; to enfeeble; as, to debilitate the body by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • debilitate — I verb cripple, denature, deprive of strength, devitalize, emasculate, enervate, enfeeble, eviscerate, exhaust, impair, incapacitate, injure, lessen, make feeble, make languid, reduce, render weak, sap the strength of, undermine, weaken II index… …   Law dictionary

  • debilitate — (v.) 1530s, from L. debilitatus, pp. of debilitare to weaken, from debilis weak (see DEBILITY (Cf. debility)). Related: Debilitated; debilitating …   Etymology dictionary

  • debilitate — enfeeble, *weaken, undermine, sap, cripple, disable Analogous words: impair, *injure, damage, harm, hurt, mar, spoil Antonyms: invigorate Contrasted words: energize, *vitalize: *renew, restore, rejuvenate, refresh …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • debilitate — [v] incapacitate attenuate, blunt, cripple, devitalize, disable, enervate, enfeeble, eviscerate, exhaust, extenuate, harm, hurt, injure, mar, prostrate, relax, sap, spoil, unbrace, undermine, unstrengthen, weaken, wear out; concepts 240,246 Ant.… …   New thesaurus

  • debilitate — ► VERB ▪ severely weaken. DERIVATIVES debilitation noun. ORIGIN Latin debilitare, from debilis weak …   English terms dictionary

  • debilitate — [dē bil′ə tāt΄, dibil′ə tāt΄] vt. debilitated, debilitating [< L debilitatus, pp. of debilitare, to weaken < debilis, weak, not strong < de (see DE ) + deriv. of IE base * bel , strong > Gr belteros, better] to make weak or feeble;… …   English World dictionary

  • Debilitate — To impair the strength or to enfeeble. A chronic progressive disease may debilitate a patient. So may, temporarily, a major surgical procedure. In both cases the weakness is pervasive. Weakness in an arm or leg following the removal of a cast is… …   Medical dictionary

  • debilitate — UK [dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt] / US [dɪˈbɪlɪˌteɪt] verb [transitive, usually passive] Word forms debilitate : present tense I/you/we/they debilitate he/she/it debilitates present participle debilitating past tense debilitated past participle debilitated formal …   English dictionary

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