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weaken
(redirected from weakeners)

    0.01 sec.
weak·en  (wkn)
tr. & intr.v. weak·ened, weak·en·ing, weak·ens
To make or become weak or weaker.

weaken·er n.

weaken
Verb
to become or make weak or weaker
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.weaken - lessen the strength of; "The fever weakened his body"
de-energise, de-energize - deprive of energy
break - weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
devitalise, devitalize - sap of life or energy; "The recession devitalized the economy"
shake - undermine or cause to waver; "my faith has been shaken"; "The bad news shook her hopes"
depress - lessen the activity or force of; "The rising inflation depressed the economy"
unbrace - remove a brace or braces from
etiolate - make weak by stunting the growth or development of
cripple, stultify - deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless; "This measure crippled our efforts"; "Their behavior stultified the boss's hard work"
dilute, thin, thin out, reduce, cut - lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture; "cut bourbon"
attenuate, rarefy - weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance)
blunt - make less intense; "blunted emotions"
mollify, season, temper - make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate; "she tempered her criticism"
debilitate, enfeeble, drain - make weak; "Life in the camp drained him"
enervate - weaken mentally or morally
dampen - reduce the amplitude (of oscillations or waves)
neutralize, nullify, neutralise, negate - make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect of; "Her optimism neutralizes his gloom"; "This action will negate the effect of my efforts"
castrate, emasculate - deprive of strength or vigor; "The Senate emasculated the law"
wash out - deplete of strength or vitality; "The illness washed her out"
beef up, fortify, strengthen - make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries"
2.weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days"
decrease, diminish, lessen, fall - decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
attenuate - become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude
disappear, evaporate, melt - become less intense and fade away gradually; "her resistance melted under his charm"; "her hopes evaporated after years of waiting for her fiance"
die down - become progressively weaker; "the laughter died down"
collapse - lose significance, effectiveness, or value; "The school system is collapsing"; "The stock market collapsed"
fade, melt - become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly; "The scene begins to fade"; "The tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk"
subside, lessen - wear off or die down; "The pain subsided"
slur, dim, blur - become vague or indistinct; "The distinction between the two theories blurred"
languish, pine away, waste - lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief; "After her husband died, she just pined away"
dull - make less lively or vigorous; "Middle age dulled her appetite for travel"
pall - lose strength or effectiveness; become or appear boring, insipid, or tiresome (to); "the course palled on her"
relax, loose, loosen - become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened"; "the rope relaxed"
slacken - become looser or slack; "the rope slackened"
slacken, slow up, slow, slow down, slack - become slow or slower; "Production slowed"
wilt - lose strength; "My opponent was wilting"
strengthen - gain strength; "His body strengthened"
3.weakenweaken - destroy property or hinder normal operations; "The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war"
derail - cause to run off the tracks; "they had planned to derail the trains that carried atomic waste"
disobey - refuse to go along with; refuse to follow; be disobedient; "He disobeyed his supervisor and was fired"
4.weaken - reduce the level or intensity or size or scope of; "de-escalate a crisis"
minify, decrease, lessen - make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
5.weaken - lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
blunt, deaden - make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; "Terror blunted her feelings"; "deaden a sound"
deafen - make soundproof; "deafen a room"
deaden, damp, dampen - make vague or obscure or make (an image) less visible; "muffle the message"

weaken
verb 1. reduce, undermine, moderate, diminish, temper, impair, lessen, sap, mitigate, invalidate, soften up, take the edge off << OPPOSITE boost
verb 2. wane, fail, diminish, dwindle, lower, flag, fade, give way, lessen, abate, droop, ease up << OPPOSITE grow
verb 3. sap the strength of, tire, exhaust, debilitate, depress, disable, cripple, incapacitate, enfeeble, enervate << OPPOSITE strengthen
Translations

weaken [ˈwiːkən] videbilitarse (= give way); ceder
vtdebilitar
weaken [ˈwiːkn] weak vifaiblir
vtaffaiblir
weaken [ˈwiːkn] weak vi [resolve, person] → schwächer werden; [influence, power] → nachlassen
vtschwächen
weaken [ˈwiːkən] viindebolirsi
vtindebolire


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