activate vs wear down

activate

verb
  • To render more reactive; excite. 

  • To organize or create a military unit or station. 

  • To bring a player back after an injury. 

  • To put a device, mechanism (alarm etc.) or system into action or motion; to trigger, to actuate, to set off, to enable. 

  • To render a substance radioactive. 

  • To hasten a chemical reaction, especially by heating. 

  • To remove the limitations of demoware by providing a license; to unlock. 

  • To render a molecule reactive, active, or effective in performing its function. 

  • To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate. 

  • To aerate in order to aid decomposition of organic matter. 

wear down

verb
  • To eventually persuade or defeat (someone) through persistent effort. 

  • To cause (someone) physical or mental fatigue. 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wear, down. 

How often have the words activate and wear down occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )