enervate
1 of 2adjective
ener·vate i-ˈnər-vət 
: lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor : enervated
enervate
2 of 2verb
en·er·vate ˈe-nər-ˌvāt
enervated; enervating
transitive verb
1
: to reduce the mental or moral vigor of
2
: to lessen the vitality or strength of
enervatingly
ˈe-nər-ˌvā-tiŋ-lē
adverb enervation
ˌe-nər-ˈvā-shən
noun 
Synonyms
Verb
- castrate
- damp
- dampen
- deaden
- dehydrate
- desiccate
- devitalize
- geld
- lobotomize
- petrify
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards
Recent Examples on the Web
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 See More
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 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Latin enervatus, past participle of enervare, from e- + nervus sinew — more at nerve
First Known Use
Adjective
1603, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
enervate
transitive verb
en·er·vate ˈen-ər-ˌvāt
enervated; enervating
1
obsolete : to cut the nerves or tendons of
2
: to lessen the vitality or strength of
heat enervates people
enervates
verb
1
as in undermines
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- undermines
- weakens
- deadens
- exhausts
- drains
- petrifies
- desiccates
- damps
- castrates
- dehydrates
- debilitates
- dampens
- wears
- saps
- enfeebles
- discourages
- devitalizes
- gelds
- fatigues
- lobotomizes
- disheartens
- burns out
- daunts
- wears out
- dispirits
- demoralizes
- does in
- tuckers (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stimulates
- invigorates
- energizes
- vitalizes
- vivifies
- quickens
- arouses
- stirs
- rouses
- excites
- provokes
- enlivens
- galvanizes
- braces
- electrifies
- inflames
- incites
- inspires
- triggers
- charges
- kindles
- sparks
- ferments
- foments
- lifts
- fires
- cheers
- heartens
- emboldens
- fortifies
- instigates
- abets
- whips (up)
- boosts
- enflames
- revives
- rejuvenates
- refreshes
- regenerates
- revitalizes
- renews
- reawakens
- recharges
- buoys
- reactivates
- resurrects
- resuscitates
- reanimates
- rekindles
- reenergizes
- reawakes
2
as in weakens
to diminish the physical strength of the surgery really enervated me for weeks afterwards Synonyms & Similar Words
- weakens
- softens
- debilitates
- enfeebles
- wastes
- saps
- exhausts
- injures
- paralyzes
- hurts
- tires
- prostrates
- damages
- depletes
- cripples
- devitalizes
- impoverishes
- impairs
- depresses
- incapacitates
- disables
- etiolates
- unmans
- harms
- hamstrings
- invalids
- wears out
- lays up
- wears down
- washes out
- grinds (down)
- breaks down
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- strengthens
- fortifies
- energizes
- invigorates
- vitalizes
- rejuvenates
- recruits
- hardens
- seasons
- beefs (up)
- toughens