debilitating

IPA/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪŋ/
KK[dəbˈɪlətˌetɪŋ]IPA/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪŋ/

debilitating — adjective

  • debilitatingpositive
  • more debilitatingcomparative
  • most debilitatingsuperlative

1. causing a person to gradually lose physical strength, mental focus, or their usu

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

causing a person to gradually lose physical strength, mental focus, or their usual ability to function effectively

Example

After months of treatment, Yael still felt a debilitating lack of energy.

collocation: debilitating lack of energy

Inês left her job because of the debilitating back pain she could not ignore.

Common collocations
  • debilitating illness / disease / condition
  • debilitating pain / fatigue / weakness
  • debilitating effect / impact
  • debilitating anxiety / depression / stress
Synonyms
  • weakening

    more general, less extreme in force; 'debilitating' implies a more serious or lasting effect

  • draining

    focuses specifically on loss of energy; more informal and less clinical

  • crippling

    very strong, often figurative; suggests near-total loss of function

Antonyms
  • strengthening

    opposite effect — building power instead of reducing it

  • invigorating

    giving energy and vitality rather than taking it away

Grammar Patterns

debilitating + noun

find/prove/become + something + debilitating

so debilitating that + clause

Usage Note

Commonly used in health or medical contexts to describe a condition that seriously reduces a person's normal abilities.

Common Mistakes

After the long hike, I felt debilitating.
After the long hike, I felt debilitated.
'debilitating' describes something that causes weakness, not the feeling of being weak.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Weakening is the broadest and mildest of these three — it can describe any reduction in strength, from a temporary lack of sleep to a chronic illness. Draining focuses specifically on the loss of energy and feels more subjective, often used in informal contexts ("a draining conversation"). Crippling is the most intense, suggesting that something has almost completely stopped a person's ability to function ("crippling debt"). Debilitating sits between weakening and crippling: it implies a serious and often long-term reduction in ability, but stops short of total loss. For example, a debilitating back injury might force someone to change jobs, whereas a crippling injury would leave them unable to move at all.

weakening ↗draining ↗crippling ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • debilitating illness
  • debilitating disease
  • debilitating pain
  • debilitating condition
  • debilitating effect
  • debilitating anxiety
  • debilitating injury
  • debilitating fatigue

Adverbs

  • physically debilitating
  • mentally debilitating
  • emotionally debilitating
  • financially debilitating

Phrases

  • so debilitating that
  • prove debilitating
  • become debilitating
  • find something debilitating

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'debilitare' meaning 'to weaken', which itself comes from 'debilis' meaning 'weak' or 'feeble'. The English suffix '-ating' turns the verb into an adjective describing something that causes the action.

First known use

1641

1641, in the meaning defined above