extenuados

Extenuados is a Spanish adjective and past participle form meaning exhausted or worn out. It describes people, animals, or things that have been drained of energy or strength, often after prolonged effort, stress, illness, or harsh conditions. The masculine plural form is extenuados; feminine plural is extenuadas; singular masculine is extenuado; singular feminine is extenuada.

Etymology: Extenuados derives from the verb extenuar, which comes from Latin extenuare meaning to weaken or diminish. The construction is formed from ex- “out” or “thoroughly” plus tenuare “to make thin,” with tenuis “thin” as a root element. The sense evolved toward describing a state of extreme fatigue or debilitation.

Usage: In everyday Spanish, extenuados conveys a stronger sense of fatigue than synonyms like agotados or fatigados, emphasizing a state brought to the limit. Common collocations include extenuados por el esfuerzo, extenuados por la marcha, and extenuados por la enfermedad. In literature and journalism, it can create a stark, somber tone when portraying victims, laborers, or survivors.

Nuances: Extenuados often implies prostration or near-collapse, whereas agotados can be milder and more general weariness. The term is flexible across genres, from clinical descriptions to narrative scenes.

See also: agotado, exhausto, fatigado, fatigación, exténuación.