1
as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in feeble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enervate
Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 28 Feb. 2021
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
To a great extent, that reflects the endless, enervating nature of the Brexit debate.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2020
Jack’s enervating recovery in The Way Back is full of drab, predictable pathos instead of the stylized drama in Dawn of Justice.
—Armond White, National Review, 6 Mar. 2020
Perhaps the most intimate of these photographs presents her after a shower, wet and enervated, rubbing a cloth across her reflection in a mirror, as though the condensation were crud.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020
Then again, enervating her supporters has been Madonna’s M.O. in recent years.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 July 2019
But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . .
—Chris Pope, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2019
Such behavior is particularly enervating when the West aims to bring new countries into permanent and universal—that is, Western-style—guarantees of security and systems of relations.
—I. William Zartman, WSJ, 24 June 2018
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
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
To a great extent, that reflects the endless, enervating nature of the Brexit debate.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2020
Jack’s enervating recovery in The Way Back is full of drab, predictable pathos instead of the stylized drama in Dawn of Justice.
—Armond White, National Review, 6 Mar. 2020
Perhaps the most intimate of these photographs presents her after a shower, wet and enervated, rubbing a cloth across her reflection in a mirror, as though the condensation were crud.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020
Then again, enervating her supporters has been Madonna’s M.O. in recent years.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 July 2019
But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . .
—Chris Pope, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2019
Such behavior is particularly enervating when the West aims to bring new countries into permanent and universal—that is, Western-style—guarantees of security and systems of relations.
—I. William Zartman, WSJ, 24 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enervate
Verb
-
There are eight issues that have begun to undermine the stock market's shaky support.—
John S. Tobey,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
His brave stand, like the legendary Dutch hero whose finger in the dike blocked a flood, still holds back the efforts of Putin, Xi Jinping, and their allies to undermine democracy — in the Baltics, Poland, Western Europe, and Taiwan, and in Trump’s United States.—
Trudy Rubin,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In the fourth quarter of 2024, WK Kellogg reported net sales of $640 million, a decrease of 1.7% compared to $651 million in the same period in 2023, impacted by a 5.6% volume decline and a 40 basis point headwind from the weakening Canadian dollar.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Fed officials are closely monitoring inflation and the labor market for signs of a potentially weakening economy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
When experienced all at once, these features can further shake an emerging adult’s already feeble sense of stability.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
-
But the currency is still weak and spending still feeble, prompting fresh debate about what actions the country’s central bank should take.—
River Akira Davis,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But by 2011, they were exhausted by seven solid years of touring and recording.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Like state government, municipalities also have exhausted most of their emergency federal pandemic aid.—
Jessika Harkay,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Acting as a deeply hydrating treatment, this formula softens and soothes the skin like a dream.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Notes of sandalwood, seaweed, amber, and sea salt get a bit of a masculine edge from fir that’s then softened with feminine rose, all of which sit very close to the skin.—
Emily Orofino,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fudd then drained her first 3-pointer after an 0-for-2 start, and Strong followed her up with four straight points off another pair of Marquette turnovers.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2025
-
That fall and winter, constant power outages and air-raid alerts left them drained and on edge.—
Michael Holtz,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
America’s morning television brightens the day but deadens the soul.—
Joel Golby,
airmail.news,
5 Oct. 2024
-
One way of deadening the mind to distractions is by blowing opponents off the court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
This more logistical plot thread proves surprisingly languid for a such a nanoscopic feature, but Kang plays with its withdrawn qualities in fascinating ways.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Martin, ever elegant but rarely a wildly expressive actor, could perhaps do with showing a bit more emotional urgency here to sharpen the interplay with Tom, especially in this naturally languid seaside backdrop.—
Nicolas Rapold,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Enervate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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