1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the debilitation that all the prisoners of war had experienced during their captivity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
attributed the patient's general debilitation to an iron deficiency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitation
Noun
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With the deterioration and rise of crime in South Beach in the late 1970s, as well as inflation and the shrinking tourist business, the Famous was forced to close in 1981.—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
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While analysts do not expect the rift to escalate into direct conflict, even a limited deterioration could carry far-reaching consequences.—
Noun
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The strengths and weaknesses are always shown in a game like this.—
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According to the Mayo Clinic, CMS is caused by a gene change that results in muscle weakness, which worsens with physical activity.—
Noun
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While the economy has been resilient for the most part, any weakening in 2026 could have an outsize effect on more price-sensitive consumers and, therefore, airlines that are more exposed to coach-class domestic travel, like lower-cost carriers.—
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One is the weakening of the American economy.—
Noun
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There are no speakers in the songs of MJ Lenderman other than MJ Lenderman, whose diffidence and exhaustion are in all-too-perfect lockstep with the psychic frustrations of his listeners.—
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This round of protests feels different from prior ones because of a sense of frustration and exhaustion among people in Iran, said Dina Esfandiary, Middle East lead for Bloomberg Economics.—
Noun
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In Will There Ever Be Another You, the main character struggles with an illness similar to long COVID, descending into a state of debility and psychosis as readers experience the chaos of her unraveling life.—
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The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.—
Noun
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But Vanderbilt, as attention, pressure and fatigue rise on a pursuit no one outside its camp expected, is essentially two teams with two games left in the 2025 regular season.—
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Despite widespread fatigue over tipping prompts, Americans still tend to be generous when dining out at restaurants.—
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Cite this Entry
“Debilitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitation. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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