devitalizing

verb

present participle of devitalize
1
as in undermining
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality overuse has devitalized many a once-striking figure of speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of she was devitalized by the infection

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devitalizing
  1. undermining
  2. weakening
  3. draining
  4. softening
  5. exhausting
  6. wasting
  7. enervating
  8. deadening
Verb
  • Careless language can transform guidance into judgment, or urgency into panic, undermining psychological safety.
    — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Undermining trust By introducing an AI image generator as a Google Earth feature, Google risked undermining public trust in Google Earth as a reliable reference for providing authentic imagery of the real world, Ess said.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • Israelis across political and religious lines are worried about the weakening connection with younger Jewish Americans — who, according to a recent AP poll, tend to consider support for Israel less crucial to their Jewish identity than older adults.
    — Giovanna Dell'Orto, Fortune, 31 July 2026
  • Today, some civil-society leaders, and even figures inside the establishment itself, fret that the regime’s heavy domestic hand is not only hurting Iranians but also weakening the country’s war effort.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • Make sure vents are unobstructed, check that the condensate drain is draining properly, and keep the area around the indoor unit clean and dry.
    — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 31 July 2026
  • After the nation’s July 4 celebration, workers began draining and repairing the pool to address the underlying problems.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • History has a way of softening the edges of even the fiercest rivalries.
    — Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The drop was driven by worsening infrastructure, softening housing and a high cost of living.
    — Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of softening
Verb
  • This strategic move follows growing concerns over rapidly escalating enterprise AI budgets, with companies like Uber and Microsoft quickly exhausting their allocations.
    — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • After graduating with a degree in business economics, Pichardo learned that NCAA athletes can compete in a different sport after exhausting their initial four years of eligibility.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Mercury News, 27 July 2026
Definition of exhausting
Verb
  • Children suffering from a condition known as wasting are acutely malnourished, become very thin for their height, and need immediate therapeutic feeding.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Signs your home may be wasting energy There are several signs that your home is wasting energy.
    — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of wasting
Verb
  • Campbell, the North Carolina folk singer, describes an enervating process marked by back-and-forth exchanges and lots of waiting.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Jenny deflected me with enervating ease.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of enervating
Verb
  • Sam Lambert laid down a safety squeeze, deadening the ball in front of the plate and scoring Balls to trim the lead to 3-1.
    — Dave Montrose, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
  • Another suggestion was requiring special sound-deadening balls, currently available, that lower the decibel levels considerably.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of deadening
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

devitalizes
devitalizing
devoid
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Devitalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalizing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All