ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsEenervate
ISEE/SSAThard
enervate
Meaning: to weaken or drain of energy
enervate in a sentence
How enervate is used in real sentences:
The humid heat seemed to enervate the hikers by noon.
The long, airless meeting began to enervate everyone in the room.
“Hours of relentless verbal switching can enervate even an experienced interpreter, weakening concentration just when precise distinctions matter most.”
— from the passage Between Speech and Judgment
“Repeated accusations, he realized, would only enervate the ensemble; after each rebuke, shoulders sagged and the difficult final pages grew less focused.”
— from the passage The Unfinished Finale
“The study also showed that uncertainty could enervate visitors; after two hours without updates, many grew listless and failed to produce documents they had brought.”
— from the passage Waiting by Design
Synonyms for enervate
Other words for enervate — weaken, debilitate and sap — carry the same meaning.
- weaken
- debilitate
- sap
Antonyms of enervate
Words that mean the opposite of enervate:
- strengthen
- invigorate
- energize
Where it comes from
From Latin enervare, meaning 'to remove the sinews or weaken.'
Memory hook
ENERVATE looks like energy leaving: it drains strength rather than adding nerve.