weaken
/ˈwiːk(ə)n
/verb
Make or become weaker in power, resolve, or physical strength: [with object]: fault lines had weakened and shattered the rocks [no object]: his resistance had weakened...
- She hates this kind of thing normally, but all the hype and good reviews weakened her resolve.
- It did not weaken his resolve, although there are times when bitterness wells to the surface.
- His squad may be physically weakened, but he believes their resolve remains strong.
Synonyms
enfeeble, debilitate, incapacitate, sap one's strength, enervate, tire, exhaust, wear out;
wither, erode, diminish, destroy
reduce, decrease, diminish, lessen, moderate, temper, sap, dilute, water down, thin, blunt, mitigate, deplete, soften (up)
abate, lessen, decrease, dwindle, diminish, ease up, let up, trail off, wane, ebb, subside, peter out, melt away, fizzle out, taper off, tail off, grow dim, grow faint;
decline, deteriorate, degenerate, shrivel, wilt, tire, languish, falter
impair, undermine, compromise;
invalidate, refute, rebut, negate, discredit
relent, give in, acquiesce, yield, give way, accede, succumb, come round;
consent, assent, agree;
soften, bend, ease up, ease off
Derivatives
weakener
- These are notorious weakeners of the immune system.
- Says Coleridge, one of the foremost of English thinkers: ‘I believe the habit of perusing periodical works may be properly added to the catalogue of anti-mnemonics, or weakeners of the memory.’
- As you might expect, increasing the number of interior walls in the signal's line of sight, ie fixed signal weakeners, made interference more likely, though again, a decent picture was usually possible, sometimes by making minor adjustments to the precise location of the receiver.