Meaning of WEAKEN
| Pronunciation: | | 'weekun
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 WordNet Dictionary |
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- [v] become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days"
- [v] lessen the strength of; "The fever weakened his body"
- [v] reduce the level or intensity or size or scope of; "de-escalate a crisis"
- [v] lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
- [v] destroy property or hinder normal operations; "The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war"
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| | Synonyms: | | counteract, countermine, damp, de-escalate, sabotage, soften, step down, subvert, undermine |
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| | Antonyms: | | beef up, escalate, fortify, intensify, step up, strengthen | | |
| | See Also: | | alter, attenuate, blunt, blur, break, castrate, change, collapse, cripple, cut, dampen, deaden, deafen, debilitate, decrease, de-energise, de-energize, depress, derail, devitalise, devitalize, die down, dilute, dim, disobey, drain, dull, emasculate, enervate, enfeeble, etiolate, fade, fade out, languish, lessen, loose, loosen, melt, minify, mollify, negate, neutralise, neutralize, nullify, pall, pine away, rarefy, reduce, relax, season, shake, slack, slacken, slow, slow down, slow up, slur, stultify, subside, temper, thin, thin out, unbrace, wash out, waste, weaken, wilt | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | |
\Weak"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Weakened}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Weakening}.]
1. To make weak; to lessen the strength of; to deprive of
strength; to debilitate; to enfeeble; to enervate; as, to
weaken the body or the mind; to weaken the hands of a
magistrate; to weaken the force of an objection or an
argument.
Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it
be not done. --Neh. vi. 9.
2. To reduce in quality, strength, or spirit; as, to weaken
tea; to weaken any solution or decoction.
\Weak"en\, v. i.
To become weak or weaker; to lose strength, spirit, or
determination; to become less positive or resolute; as, the
patient weakened; the witness weakened on cross-examination.
``His notion weakens, his discernings are lethargied.''
--Shak.
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