debilitating
adjective
de·bil·i·tat·ing
di-ˈbi-lə-ˌtā-tiŋ 
dē-
: causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function
debilitating pain
a debilitating fear of public speaking
a debilitating illness
Thirty years have passed since a vaccine wiped out polio, but some of those who conquered the debilitating disease as children are now experiencing symptoms that seem all too familiar.—
Fay Knicely
Fay KnicelySeveral of these drugs are now in clinical testing to determine whether they can reduce or eliminate the debilitating nausea suffered by cancer patients on chemotherapy.—Ron Cowen
Ron Cowen
debilitatingly
adverb
Debilitatingly asthmatic as a child, Scarfe developed his talent while amusing himself and acquired the cynicism for authority that empowers his … drawings and sculpture during many frightening encounters with medical incompetence.
—Ray Olson
Ray Olson
Did you know?
The verb debilitate (and its adjective form debilitating) comes from the Latin word for "weak," debilis. Often used of disease—as in, "the patient was debilitated"—it can also suggest something that strikes like a disease or illness, "the actor was debilitated by stage fright." In sum, the word suggests a temporary impairment or a condition of weakness and helplessness.
Examples of debilitating in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But unlike those diseases, there’s a fairly straightforward way to detect NPH and address some of its most debilitating symptoms.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
The Heat has always found a way to avoid the repeater tax, which is a debilitating place to be in terms of roster construction because of the higher tax rate that comes with it.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
By their calculations, in that time frame, more than 170,000 people will be hospitalized, and nearly 900 will experience debilitating and potentially deadly neurological complications.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
From overwhelming addiction in Requiem for a Dream to failing health in The Wrestler to the troubles of motherhood in Mother, his films force us to confront life’s most debilitating dilemmas.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitating
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Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
The Heat has always found a way to avoid the repeater tax, which is a debilitating place to be in terms of roster construction because of the higher tax rate that comes with it.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
By their calculations, in that time frame, more than 170,000 people will be hospitalized, and nearly 900 will experience debilitating and potentially deadly neurological complications.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
From overwhelming addiction in Requiem for a Dream to failing health in The Wrestler to the troubles of motherhood in Mother, his films force us to confront life’s most debilitating dilemmas.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitating
Cite this Entry
“Debilitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debilitating. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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