WEAKENING Synonyms: 183 Similar and Opposite Words

weakening 1 of 3

noun

as in deterioration

a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body the all-too-apparent weakening of our grandfather was hard on our mother

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weakening

2 of 3

adjective

as in draining

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weakening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of weaken

as in softening

to diminish the physical strength of weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them

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as in fading

to lose bodily strength or vigor the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts

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as in diluting

to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances weakened the juice with too much water

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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 weakening

Noun

The hurricane center said the storm's intensity could fluctuate over the next few days but would likely maintain hurricane strength through Thursday, with gradual weakening forecast thereafter. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 The networks learn to recognize patterns by strengthening and weakening connections between nodes in response to training data. — Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026 Under the previous administration, Brazil’s audiovisual industry suffered from the closure of the Ministry of Culture, the suspension of the Audiovisual Sector Fund, the weakening of cultural institutions, and allegations of censorship. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 More rain is expected in the region as a weakening Isaias moves north. — Charles Minshew, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Sedentary middle-aged men and women lose about 10 percent of their strength and mass each decade, weakening knees, too. — Aaron Steckelberg, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 By Wednesday next week, the moisture plume from the weakening storm will arrive in Arizona and New Mexico with the potential for flash floods and lingering tropical showers throughout the desert. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026 The first sign that El Niño is developing is a weakening, or even reversal, of the tropical Pacific trade winds. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026 Maximum sustained winds have decreased to around 65 mph with higher gusts, and gradual weakening is forecast during the next few days, according to the hurricane center. — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

Mortgage demand continues to drop sharply, as buyers face higher prices and weakening affordability. — Diana Olick, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 The upper-level trough over the western United States will gradually advance eastward, weakening the influence of the ridge that has kept us hot and relatively dry. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 The challenge is knowing how to do it responsibly without weakening police and fire rescue, infrastructure, parks, senior programs, sanitation, and the services that protect our neighborhoods and property values. — Neil Kerch, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026 The second is whether our operating systems can absorb that growth without weakening existing relationships. — Adam Povlitz, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 After months of stalemate, the rebels had started weakening the regime’s defense of Menagh Air Base. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Somalia’s emergency also reflects a wider retreat in humanitarian funding that is weakening efforts to fight hunger, disease and poverty around the world. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 Hurricane Isaias made landfall last night near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 storm before weakening to a post-tropical cyclone. — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026 Those tasks had often depended on personal relationships rather than formal job requirements, and the researchers found those ties were weakening. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakening

Noun

Unlike Netflix, Disney is wrestling with the ongoing deterioration of linear TV.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
That creates a different situation when a condition begins with something a resident or guest did rather than deterioration of the building or a maintenance issue.

— Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of deterioration

Adjective

This is a good time to organize the list, clarify expectations, or make a routine feel less draining.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
Speaking of the part of van life spent behind the wheel, Volkswagen has slightly reworked the Grand California's driver-assistance suite to make driving a little less draining.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

On that topic of change, McIlroy began softening his stance about LIV players returning to the PGA Tour months ago.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
The milestone arrives at a precarious time for Australia’s festival sector, which has seen a wave of cancellations and closures in recent years amid rising costs and softening ticket sales.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of softening

Verb

The Saints are fading after a strong start, and Tyler Shough is struggling and dealing with a left hand injury.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
In the rapidly fading light, a splendid buck muley took half a step forward and looked straight toward me.

— Erwin A. Bauer, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of fading

Verb

Notably, the new action comes about a month after UMG had sued DistroKid in September, claiming the company has helped empower bad actors to upload AI slop songs at mass scale, diluting the royalty pool for genuine artists.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
The second works by blending a more modest 5 percent of next-gen fiber across high-volume production, diluting the price premium and making the material more accessible for mid-size brands or companies.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of diluting

Adjective

According to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), threats to these sectors can create debilitating impacts on the economy, public health and safety.

— Julie Song, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
That’s a good thing, in the sense that even if a child is infected, the vast majority do not develop debilitating, and potentially fatal, consequences.

— Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of debilitating

Verb

Advertisement Buy portions that match your appetite Throwing away part of a chicken breast means wasting more than dinner.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Chronicling the hyper-niche behaviors that define our online existence, Berlant describes the seemingly inescapable embarrassment of wasting one’s life away in an endless scroll.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of wasting

Verb

China’s surging shipments are much more than just surplus production, the difference between what comes out of Chinese factories and what can be sold domestically in a sagging economy.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
His thighs and sagging belly wrap tightly around the man’s head; his hands clutch at a long golf club and the scales of justice.

— Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of sagging

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“Weakening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakening. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of weakening

noun

adjective

verb

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