1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
overuse has devitalized many a once-striking figure of speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
she was devitalized by the infection
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devitalize
This can devitalize the plant to the point of it starting to die back.
—
oregonlive, 5 Feb. 2023
Miller’s writing début may have been precipitated by her assault, but the final work devitalizes its horrific beginnings.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
His lip was completely destroyed with multiple linear lacerations, jagged lacerations, devitalized tissue, denervated tissue with a 12 cm laceration in multiple pieces of the entire left upper lift, the mucosal surface, and orbicularis.
—Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, 1 June 2017
oregonlive, 5 Feb. 2023
Miller’s writing début may have been precipitated by her assault, but the final work devitalizes its horrific beginnings.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2019
His lip was completely destroyed with multiple linear lacerations, jagged lacerations, devitalized tissue, denervated tissue with a 12 cm laceration in multiple pieces of the entire left upper lift, the mucosal surface, and orbicularis.
—Edmund H. Mahony, courant.com, 1 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devitalize
Verb
-
Media implies entertainment and undermines the responsibility that journalists are supposed to have to report the truth and hold those in power accountable.—
HG Biggs,
IndyStar,
11 July 2025
-
And then the leftist media, which is looking to completely undermine our culture and our civilization, and knows that these things turn social norms on their head, pick up these concepts and promote them.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 86 years-old and his political power is weakened following the short war with Israel.—
Jackie Northam,
NPR,
9 July 2025
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The June jobs report showed strong headline numbers, but the underlying data pointed to a weakening labor market.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
Be sure to rinse and drain them before using to remove excess starch and salt.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
10 July 2025
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The city avoided building a water filtration plant, which would have lost more than $8 billion, by investing $1.5 billion into forests surrounding New York City's Catskill, Delaware, and Croton reservoirs that drain into their water supply systems.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Verb
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On the campaign trail, the president spent time courting faith leaders throughout the country, often refusing to soften his language in those venues as well.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
-
By then, Trump had softened his tariff stance and the markets had rebounded accordingly.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Verb
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While others exhaust themselves and their budgets staying open for ghosts and insomniacs, smart operators perfect their performance when the audience is there.—
Elie Y. Katz,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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According to a report released by Social Security trustees last month, once the trust fund is exhausted, payroll taxes would only be sufficient to cover about 77 percent of scheduled benefits.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Old and extra light bulbs seem to always end up in a box on a garage shelf, wasting storage space that could be used for other items.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 July 2025
-
Everyone's time is valuable, and no one's time should be wasted.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
So don’t go around being petrified of having your esophagus rupture someday.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Nearly every day brings a fresh breach of what were once thought to be the rules, moves that have thrilled his insurgent supporters and petrified his nervous opponents.—
Peter Baker,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public.—
Cameron Hilditch,
National Review,
28 Feb. 2021
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The saving grace of this often enervating thriller is that Doscher grants time for his actors to build character and intimacy, and both Pinto and Odom offer warm, affectingly natural performances as two people facing the end of their world.—
Teo Bugbee,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Devitalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devitalize. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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