verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To deprive of vitality; to make lifeless; to weaken. figuratively, transitive

   "Near-synonym: deanimate"

2. 2
   sap of life or energy wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

abateafflictattenuatebluntcastratecramp

Antonyms

All antonyms

animatereanimaterejuvenaterevitalize

Example

More examples

"Noncrushing surgical clamps avoid devitalizing the cells of arterial walls."

Etymology

From de- + vitalize.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.