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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

debilitate

Verb

IPA /dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/

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Meaning in plain English

To weaken someone's body or mind so that ordinary activities become much harder for them.

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Pronunciation

debilitate/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/

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Examples in context

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  1. The long illness debilitated him, making even short walks exhausting.
  2. Weeks of poor sleep debilitated the student during the examination period.

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To weaken someone's body or mind so that ordinary activities become much harder for them.
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debilitate — To weaken someone's body or mind so that ordinary activities become much harder for them.

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To weaken someone's body or mind so that ordinary activities become much harder for them.

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Word origin

From Latin debilitare, meaning to weaken, based on debilis, meaning weak.

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Debilitated describes the weakened person; debilitating describes something that causes the weakness.

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debilitate

/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/ (Verb)

“This is a formal verb. Debilitate someone names the person affected.”

englishskillstudio.com