Enervate: meaning, example and synonyms
Enervatev. To drain someone or something of energy or vitality; to weaken.
Example
The long, humid summer enervated the expedition team, and by August the botanists could manage only a few hours of fieldwork before retreating to the shade.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Synonyms
- exhaust, sap, weaken, debilitate
- Antonyms
- energize, invigorate, revitalize
- Memory tip
- Trap! Enervate does NOT mean energize; it drains the nerve out.
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Check yourself: Enervate in context
Weeks of sleepless nights caring for her newborn twins had so ______ the young composer that she could barely lift a pencil, let alone finish her symphony.
Answer: enervated. Sleeplessness that left her barely able to lift a pencil drained her energy, so enervated fits. articulated (express clearly), purloined (steal) and refracted (bend light) don't fit this context.
Doctors warned that the fever, though not dangerous in itself, would ______ the patient for weeks, leaving him too weak to climb a flight of stairs.
Answer: enervate. An illness that leaves him too weak for stairs will enervate him. purloin (steal), ingratiate (win favor by flattery) and articulate (express clearly) don't fit this context.