Debilitating means seriously weakening or disabling someone or something, making it difficult or impossible to function normally. A debilitating illness might leave someone too weak to go to school or play sports. A debilitating injury could prevent an athlete from competing in their sport.

It describes something that takes away a person's strength or ability to do what they usually do. A severe migraine can be debilitating, forcing someone to lie in a dark room instead of going about their day. Extreme fear can be debilitating too: imagine being so nervous before a presentation that your hands shake and your mind goes blank.

When something is debilitating, it doesn't just make things a bit harder. It fundamentally interferes with normal life. A cold might slow you down, but a debilitating flu keeps you in bed for days. Compare it to hindering (which means getting in the way) or inconvenient (which means bothersome). Debilitating is much stronger: it means something has seriously undermined your ability to function.