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
Examples Sentences
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.
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
-
He is also set on handing his successor a strong economy -- a feat that could be undermined by a sudden energy shock reprising the price spikes earlier in his administration.Jeff Stein and Ellen Nakashima The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 25 Dec. 2024
-
Television—as noise, as news, as something to do instead of killing yourself—stalks the text of this lyric, undermining the poetic form’s association with idyll.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
An easy monetary policy typically weakens a country’s currency, making exports cheaper and potentially supports growth in the face of tariffs.Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 23 Dec. 2024
-
This rare condition occurs when the ligaments holding the lower ribs in place weaken, allowing the ribs to move out of position and causing pain.Lindsay Curtis, Health, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The antihero actioner earned a feeble $4.7 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,211 locations.J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
-
What a degrading finale for Biden’s feeble, forgettable, frequently foolish presidency.Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
With its high cost of living, political tensions and often exhausting hustle culture, there are numerous reasons Americans seek a different lifestyle in another country.Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 25 Dec. 2024
-
Tempers flared at times while senators also added levity at times to the exhausting exercise.Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Cát Bà Island, Vietnam My memories of Cát Bà Island are faded Polaroids, worn and softened at the edges.Alexandra Gillespie, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024
-
Outlander producer breaks down season 7 return, Roger's shocking discovery Jamie softens and, finally, gets it.Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Gabriel stood awkwardly between the door and the back of a sofa, facing Thornton, and his calm drained away.Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
-
Keep in mind that this gearing will drain the battery more than when driven at slower city speeds.New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
One way of deadening the mind to distractions is by blowing opponents off the court.Tim Ellis, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
-
Simplicity, understood like this, is complexity well tended, just as a long, graceful line is a collection of stubby ones, tamed but not deadened.Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Unfortunately nothing really works with Sanders’ latest version, including a languid script and lack of chemistry between the leads, who, sans supernatural assistance, would be doomed to toxic codependency, whose meet-cute feels like the prologue to The Panic in Needle Park (1971).Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 17 Dec. 2024
-
No 1 Jordan), who made his debut for the under-21s in April as a 17-year-old, and Harrison Armstrong, a languid, skilful midfielder who started for the club’s second-string in February a month after turning 17.Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 11 July 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near enervate
Cite this Entry
“Enervate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enervate. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share