Weakness and Deterioration: English Vocabulary List

to diminish in quantity or size over time

"Water supplies dwindled during the drought."

"The food supplies began to dwindle rapidly as more and more refugees arrived at the camp every single day."

to gradually drain or deplete someone's power or strength

"The heat sapped our energy completely."

"The intense heat of the desert sun sapped the energy of the exhausted hikers who had run out of water."

to gradually decrease the effectiveness, confidence, or power of something or someone

"His words undermine trust."

"His constant criticism began to undermine her confidence and made her doubt her own abilities."

to gradually disappear or spread out

"The crowd dissipated after the concert ended."

"The thick morning fog began to dissipate as the sun rose higher in the clear sky."

to make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse or more severe

"His comments only exacerbated the argument."

"His rude comments only served to exacerbate the already tense situation between the two angry coworkers in the office."

able to be physically harmed or wounded

"The child is vulnerable."

"The vulnerable child was easy to bully because he was smaller than the other kids and he did not have many friends."

difficult to notice or detect because of its slight or delicate nature

"There is a subtle difference."

"There is a subtle difference between the two shades of blue but you have to look closely to see it."

easily damaged or broken

"The glass is fragile."

"The fragile glass vase broke into a thousand pieces when it accidentally fell off the table onto the floor."

likely to break due to the lack of strength or durability

"The bridge is flimsy."

"The flimsy excuse he offered for being late was not convincing and was easily seen through by his boss."

lacking strength or power, often feeling unable to act or influence a situation

"The animal is helpless."

"The helpless kitten was stuck in the tree and could not climb down without someone's help and rescue."

easily broken, cracked, or shattered due to the lack of flexibility and resilience

"The cookie is brittle."

"The brittle old book pages crumbled to dust when he tried to turn them because they were so dry and fragile."

a physical or mental condition that prevents a person from using some part of their body completely or learning something easily

"Her disability does not limit her ambition."

"The company installed wheelchair ramps and accessible bathrooms to accommodate employees with physical disabilities and comply with the new regulations."

a flaw or weakness that reduces the quality or effectiveness of something or someone

"His main shortcoming was impatience."

"His only shortcoming as a manager was his impatience with slow workers though he was otherwise fair and supportive."

a flaw or deficiency that impairs the quality or effectiveness of something

"A defect in the plan."

"The manufacturing defect caused many products to break easily after only a few weeks of normal daily use."

to gradually weaken or worsen in condition or performance

"The economy will decline."

"Experts predict that the housing market may experience a gradual decline in prices due to rising interest rates."

to decrease in degree, size, etc.

"The noise slowly diminished over time."

"The sound of the train gradually diminished as it traveled further away from the station until it could no longer be heard."

to decline in intensity or strength

"The flood waters began to subside."

"After the initial storm passed, the wind began to subside, allowing the waves on the lake to become much calmer."

to diminish in intensity, visibility, or prominence

"The flood waters finally receded."

"The floodwaters finally began to recede after three days of heavy rain stopped and the sun came out again."

to decline, weaken, or deteriorate, often in terms of strength, vitality, or overall condition

"The flowers withered without water."

"The beautiful flowers began to wither in the intense summer heat because no one remembered to water them for days."

to make something unable to work properly

"The injury incapacitated him for months."

"The powerful blow to his head was enough to incapacitate the boxer and he could not get up to continue the fight."

to become weak or begin to fail

"His resolve began to crumble."

"The old sandstone building began to crumble after years of neglect and exposure to harsh weather conditions."

to reduce the quality or effectiveness of something

"The signal will degrade."

"The video quality will degrade if you compress the file too much."

to make something less forceful, potent, or intense by adding additional elements or substances

"Dilute the juice with water."

"You should dilute the concentrated cleaning solution with water before using it on your floors."

to gradually decrease in intensity, strength, importance, size, influence, etc.

"The moon's light began to wane."

"The moon began to wane after reaching its full brightness and gradually became smaller and smaller each night."

to suppress, restrain, or hinder the growth, development, or intensity of something

"Don't stifle creativity."

"The oppressive regime attempted to stifle any dissent by controlling all forms of media and public expression."

easily harmed or destroyed

"The flower is delicate."

"The delicate flower petals fell off the stem when she touched them because they were so fragile and easily damaged by human hands."

easily broken, cracked, or shattered due to the lack of flexibility and resilience

"The glass is brittle."

"The brittle glass shattered into a thousand pieces when it hit the hard tile floor in the kitchen."

very delicate or thin

"The connection is tenuous."

"The scientist carefully examined the tenuous strands of DNA under the microscope."

a flaw, weakness, or shortcoming that reduces the effectiveness, quality, or completeness of something

"Vitamin deficiency causes problem."

"A vitamin D deficiency can cause weak bones and increase the risk of fractures."