1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in feeble
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enervate
Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Bears do not truly hibernate, but instead enervate, or enter a state of torpor, in their dens.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025
Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 28 Feb. 2021
Perhaps the most intimate of these photographs presents her after a shower, wet and enervated, rubbing a cloth across her reflection in a mirror, as though the condensation were crud.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020
But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . .
—Chris Pope, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2019
Verb
Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for enervate
Verb
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The video evidence also appears to undermine elements of the government’s narrative of what happened.—
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Environmental and labor leaders say the pause is costing thousands of jobs and undermining energy independence.—
Verb
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Evergreen branches bent under the weight of snow are already weakened; sweeping down the length of the branch toward the ground adds to the stress and increases the potential for breakage.—
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These policies impose devastating costs on American citizens, weakening our economy, increasing the national debt, straining public budgets and tearing families apart.—
Adjective
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The reality is that although Venezuela has vast reserves—about 17% of the entire planet’s oil is under Venezuelan soil—its production is feeble.—
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The hottest quarterback right now is Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who had his career-best day last week against the feeble Jets.—
Verb
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The thought of having to tell the story of his illness again, even to herself, exhausts her.—
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Though designed to work alongside humans, Atlas is engineered to operate in conditions that would exhaust most human workers.—
Verb
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Each of the eight luxurious scents is packed with softening coconut oil and shea butter.—
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Fischer especially recommends making sound-softening updates in rooms with higher ceilings, open layouts, and hardwood flooring, all of which can amplify echo and reverb.—
Adjective
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Chargers guards and center Bradley Bozeman, a trio whose job was made more difficult by subpar play by both offensive tackles, looked enfeebled against Indianapolis Colt tackle DeForest Buckner.—
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During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.—
Verb
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Even seasoned travelers underestimate how quickly streaming and Bluetooth drain a phone or tablet at 35,000 feet.—
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Investments in controlling invasive species have led to a 75 percent reduction in the area overtaken by melaleuca, a particularly thirsty tree species introduced in the river of grass near the turn of the 20th century to help drain it.—
Verb
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Both nationally and in Minnesota , there has been a shift away from intelligent discussion of public policy to endless partisan warfare with a deadening impact on the public.—
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Our default options provide shelter for a fraction of those who need it and at the same time deaden streets, crowd the sky, and anger neighbors.—
Cite this Entry
“Enervate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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