Nearby Words
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | incapacitate |
| Synonyms: | attenuate, blunt, cripple, devitalize, disable, enervate, enfeeble, eviscerate, exhaust, extenuate, harm, hurt, injure, mar, prostrate, relax, sap, spoil, unbrace, undermine, unstrengthen, weaken, wear out |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, cure, energize, help, invigorate, mend, strengthen |
| Main Entry: | blunt |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make dull |
| Synonyms: | attenuate, benumb, cripple, dampen, deaden, debilitate, desensitize, disable, enfeeble, hebetate, numb, obtund, sap, soften, take the edge off, undermine, water down, weaken |
| Antonyms: | needle, point, sharpen |
| Main Entry: | cripple |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disable; make lame |
| Synonyms: | attenuate, blunt, debilitate, disarm, dislimb, dismember, enfeeble, hamstring, hurt, immobilize, incapacitate, injure, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, palsy, paralyze, prostrate, sap, sideline, stifle, undermine, unstrengthen, weaken |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, enable, help, strengthen, support |
| Main Entry: | debase |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | degrade, shame |
| Synonyms: | abase, bemean, cast down, cheapen, corrupt, cripple, debauch, debilitate, demean, demoralize, deprave, devaluate, devalue, disable, disgrace, dishonor, drag down, dump on, enfeeble, fluff off, humble, humiliate, lower, put away, put down, reduce, sap, shoot down, sink, take down a peg, take down, undermine, weaken |
| Antonyms: | elevate, honor, laud, praise, upgrade, value |
| Main Entry: | demoralize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | depress, unnerve |
| Synonyms: | abash, blow out, blow up, chill, cripple, damp, dampen, daunt, debilitate, deject, disarrange, disconcert, discountenance, discourage, dishearten, disorder, disorganize, disparage, dispirit, disturb, embarrass, enfeeble, get to, jumble, muddle, nonplus, psych out, rattle, sap, send up, shake, snarl, take apart, take steam out, undermine, unglue, unman, unsettle, unzip, upset, weaken |
| Antonyms: | boost, comfort, encourage, uplift |
| Main Entry: | depress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | deject, make despondent; exhaust |
| Synonyms: | abase, afflict, ail, bear down, beat, beat down, bother, bug*, bum out, cast down, chill*, cow*, damp, dampen, darken, daunt, debase, debilitate, degrade, desolate, devitalize, discourage, dishearten, dismay, dispirit, distress, disturb, drag*, drain, dull, enervate, faze, keep under, lower, mock, mortify, oppress, perturb, press, put down*, reduce, reduce to tears, run down, sadden, sap*, scorn, slow, throw cold water on, torment, trouble, try, turn one off, upset, weaken, weary, weigh down |
| Antonyms: | cheer, comfort, encourage, excite, lift, make happy, stimulate |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | deteriorate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | decay, degenerate |
| Synonyms: | adulterate, alloy, be worse for wear, become worse, break, corrode, corrupt, crumble, debase, debilitate, decline, decompose, degrade, deprave, depreciate, descend, disimprove, disintegrate, ebb, fade, fail, fall apart, flag, go downhill, go to pieces, go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, impair, injure, languish, lapse, lessen, lose it, lose quality, lower, mar, pervert, regress, retrograde, retrogress, rot, sink, skid, slide, spoil, undermine, vitiate, weaken, wear away, worsen |
| Notes: | to degenerate means 'to decline in value, move lower on a scale' but to deteriorate means 'to worsen, to become lowered, or be reduced in value'; degenerate pertains more to character and virtue while deteriorate is more about loss of strength or vitality |
| Antonyms: | build, construct, develop, get better, improve |
| Main Entry: | disable |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | render inoperative; cripple |
| Synonyms: | attenuate, batter, blunt, damage, debilitate, disarm, disenable, disqualify, enervate, enfeeble, exhaust, hamstring, handicap, harm, hock, hogtie, hurt, immobilize, impair, incapacitate, invalidate, kibosh, knock out, maim, mangle, mar, mutilate, muzzle, paralyze, pinion, prostrate, put out of action, render incapable, ruin, sabotage, sap, shatter, shoot down, spoil, take out*, throw monkey wrench in, total*, unbrace, undermine, unfit, unstrengthen, weaken, wreck |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, enable, help, improve |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | disarm |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | render defenseless |
| Synonyms: | conciliate, cripple, deactivate, debilitate, deescalate, demilitarize, demobilize, disable, disband, disqualify, incapacitate, invalidate, neutralize, occupy, pacify, paralyze, prostrate, skin, strip, subdue, subjugate, unarm, weaken |
| Antonyms: | arm |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
