debilitate
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈbi-lə-ˌtāt dē-/ (ame, mw)
debilitate — 動詞
- debilitatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- debilitateshe / she / it
- debilitatedpast simple
- debilitating-ing form
1. to drain a person's or animal's body of its normal strength, so that ordinary ta
使虛弱；衰弱
讓人或動物身體變得無力、難以正常活動
to drain a person's or animal's body of its normal strength, so that ordinary tasks like walking, working, or thinking clearly become hard.
A six-week bout of malaria debilitated Jiwoo so badly that climbing the stairs left her breathless.
一場長達六週的瘧疾讓 Jiwoo 虛弱得連爬樓梯都會喘不過氣。
be debilitated by + illness
The chemotherapy debilitated Stefan, and for weeks he could barely hold a coffee cup steady.
化療使 Stefan 變得很衰弱，有好幾個星期，他連咖啡杯都拿不穩。
subject is usually an illness or treatment
Years of poor diet and night shifts had quietly debilitated the factory workers in Maeve's village.
多年的飲食不良和夜班工作，悄悄地讓 Maeve 村裡的工廠工人變得體力衰弱。
The horse was so debilitated after the long drought that the vet ordered three months of rest.
經歷長期乾旱後，那匹馬虛弱到獸醫下令必須休養三個月。
A high fever debilitated Diego for nearly two weeks before the antibiotics finally took effect.
高燒讓 Diego 整整虛弱了將近兩個星期，直到抗生素終於發揮作用。
- weaken
broader and more neutral; works for objects and ideas too
- enfeeble
literary, almost archaic; suggests lasting feebleness
- sap
informal; focuses on draining energy bit by bit
- incapacitate
stronger; the person can no longer do something specific
- strengthen
everyday opposite
- invigorate
more formal; suggests fresh energy returning
文法句型
debilitate + somebody/something
be debilitated by something
用法筆記
Subject is usually an illness, injury, treatment, or sustained hardship; object is a living body (person or animal). Frequently passive (be debilitated by). Distinguish from 'weaken', which is broader and can apply to abstract things like an argument or a currency.