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enervate

When you enervate something, you disturb it, possibly weakening it mentally or morally. Perhaps knowing that its gambling and nightlife has been known to enervate some visitors, a certain desert city's slogan is a promise to keep their antics a secret.

The verb enervate can mean "to faze or unnerve," like public speaking, which is known to enervate many people, or "make weak," like crazy bargains that enervate holiday shoppers. Don't confuse enervate with innervate. The words are antonyms: something that enervates saps your energy, while something that innervates stimulates, or gives you energy.

DEFINITIONS OF: enervate

1

v weaken mentally or morally

Type of:
weaken
lessen the strength of

v disturb the composure of

Synonyms:
faze, unnerve, unsettle
Types:
unman
cause to lose one's nerve
Type of:
discomfit, discompose, disconcert, untune, upset
cause to lose one's composure
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