WEAKENING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does weakening mean? 

• WEAKENING (noun)
  The noun WEAKENING has 2 senses:

1. becoming weaker

2. the act of reducing the strength of something

  Familiarity information: WEAKENING used as a noun is rare.

• WEAKENING (adjective)
  The adjective WEAKENING has 2 senses:

1. causing debilitation

2. moderating by making pain or sorrow weaker

  Familiarity information: WEAKENING used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WEAKENING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Becoming weaker

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("weakening" is a kind of...):

shift; transformation; transmutation (a qualitative change)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "weakening"):

debilitation; enervation; enfeeblement; exhaustion (serious weakening and loss of energy)

atrophy; withering (any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use))

attenuation; fading (weakening in force or intensity)

downfall; fall (a sudden decline in strength or number or importance)

loosening; relaxation; slackening (an occurrence of control or strength weakening)

Antonym:

strengthening (becoming stronger)

Derivation:

weaken (become weaker)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of reducing the strength of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("weakening" is a kind of...):

decrease; diminution; reduction; step-down (the act of decreasing or reducing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "weakening"):

wilt; wilting (causing to become limp or drooping)

dilution (weakening (reducing the concentration) by the addition of water or a thinner)

etiolation (the act of weakening by stunting the growth or development of something)

Antonym:

strengthening (the act of increasing the strength of something)

Derivation:

weaken (lessen the strength of)

• WEAKENING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Causing debilitation

Synonyms:

debilitative; enervating; enfeebling; weakening

Similar:

debilitating (impairing the strength and vitality)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Moderating by making pain or sorrow weaker

Similar:

moderating (lessening in intensity or strength)

 Context examples 

Excessive inflammation, the researchers found, was weakening the hedgehog proteins in the diabetic mice.

(Protein Discovery Could Help Heal Bones in Diabetics, VOA)

Inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis results in weakening and lysis of the cell wall and cell death.

(Ertapenem Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

This prevents proper bacterial cell wall synthesis, thereby results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and eventually leading to cell lysis.

(Azlocillin, NCI Thesaurus)

These lipid metabolites might represent the weakening of nerve cell membranes in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

(Study Points to Possible Blood Test For Memory Decline, Alzheimer’s, NIH)

Inhibition results in a weakening and subsequent lysis of the cell wall leading to cell death of Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic pathogens.

(Ertapenem, NCI Thesaurus)

Problems with a device due the loss or weakening of a signal or signals.

(Device Signal Loss Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

Inhibition results in a weakening and eventually lysis of the bacterial cell wall.

(Doripenem, NCI Thesaurus)

Recent evidence suggests that the AMOC began weakening again 150 years ago.

(A new study is the first to measure the time lags between changing ocean currents and major climate shifts., University of Cambridge)

Other causes are low bone density and osteoporosis, which cause weakening of the bones.

(Fractures, NIH)

This interrupts bacterial cell wall synthesis and results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and eventually causing cell lysis.

(Penicillin G, NCI Thesaurus)