Spanish Conversation · Level 192
15 words
Spanish word
debilitar
Pronunciation
IPA/deβiliˈtaɾ/
Meaning
- verbweaken
Example
La falta de sueño me debilita.
Lack of sleep weakens me.
More examples
La infección debilita a muchas personas mayores.
The infection weakens many elderly people.
Core concept
A wrench loosening the bolts on a factory machine until it falters.
Common phrases
debilitar a alguien
weaken someone
debilitar la capacidad de concentración
weaken concentration
debilitar las defensas
weaken defenses
Similar words
reducir: Decreases quantity, size, extent, or intensity.
empeorar: Worsens the quality or course of a situation or condition.
perjudicar: Causes damage to someone's interests, welfare, or functioning.
afectar: Affects a person's or thing's state by producing an impact or change.
Definition in Spanish
Hacer que alguien o algo pierda fuerza, vigor o eficacia, tanto en sentido físico como en sentido figurado.
Word origin
Derived from Latin debilitare, built from debilis 'weak' plus the suffix -itare, and it conveys causing a loss of vigor or effectiveness.
Usage tips
- Common collocations include debilitar la confianza, debilitar la autoridad, and debilitar la economía, so the verb often appears in political and economic contexts.
Other meanings
- sapverb
- impairverb
Opposites
- fortalecerstrengthenverb
Related words
- debilitadoweakenedadjective
- debilitamientoweakeningnoun