feebler
ˈfē-b(ə-)lər 
; feeblest
ˈfē-b(ə-)ləst
; feeblest
ˈfē-b(ə-)ləst
1
a
: markedly lacking in strength
a feeble old man
b
: indicating weakness
taking only feeble steps
2
a
: deficient in qualities or resources that indicate vigor, authority, force, or efficiency
a feeble argument
cities are growing uncreative and feeble—
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs
b
: inadequate, inferior
a feeble excuse
Synonyms
Examples of feeble in a Sentence
She's still feeble from her long illness.
We heard a feeble cry for help.
Business is suffering because of the feeble economy.
He made a feeble attempt to explain his behavior.
He offered a feeble excuse for his behavior.
“Dislike” is too feeble a word for how she feels about him.
Recent Examples on the Web
But these feeble forces are felt only when atoms are extremely close together.
—Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s chief executive officer, tried to pretend that the company wasn’t Chinese—describing it instead as a global company headquartered in Singapore and Los Angeles—in his congressional testimony last year, a feeble dodge that undermined his credibility.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024
Outside, a shuttle bus was dispatched to drive in front of the protesters in a feeble effort to block the noise.
—Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
In the end, the Coast Guard got similar performance out of the seventy-one sailors aboard a feeble, sixty-year-old craft than the Navy offered from nearly 100 crew operating aboard a far more modern and far more costly combatant craft.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
To make matters worse, errors stemming from feeble interactions between qubits and their environment can mimic the destructive effects of measurement.
—Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 17 Mar. 2024
They were shoved into lines, and those deemed too old, too young or too feeble were murdered the same day.
—Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
The Bay Area job market was so feeble in 2023 that the region suffered brutal job losses for most of the year before employers mounted a massive hiring rebound in recent months, a new analysis shows.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
But their articulation in the work is, in most cases, feeble, perfunctory and completely illegible without the accompaniment of convoluted, brain-draining texts.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s chief executive officer, tried to pretend that the company wasn’t Chinese—describing it instead as a global company headquartered in Singapore and Los Angeles—in his congressional testimony last year, a feeble dodge that undermined his credibility.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024
Outside, a shuttle bus was dispatched to drive in front of the protesters in a feeble effort to block the noise.
—Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
In the end, the Coast Guard got similar performance out of the seventy-one sailors aboard a feeble, sixty-year-old craft than the Navy offered from nearly 100 crew operating aboard a far more modern and far more costly combatant craft.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
To make matters worse, errors stemming from feeble interactions between qubits and their environment can mimic the destructive effects of measurement.
—Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 17 Mar. 2024
They were shoved into lines, and those deemed too old, too young or too feeble were murdered the same day.
—Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
The Bay Area job market was so feeble in 2023 that the region suffered brutal job losses for most of the year before employers mounted a massive hiring rebound in recent months, a new analysis shows.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
But their articulation in the work is, in most cases, feeble, perfunctory and completely illegible without the accompaniment of convoluted, brain-draining texts.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feeble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near feeble
Cite this Entry
“Feeble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feeble. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
feeble
adjective
fee·ble
ˈfē-bəl
feebler
-b(ə-)lər
; feeblest
-b(ə-)ləst
; feeblest
-b(ə-)ləst
1
: lacking in strength or endurance
2
: not forceful or loud
a feeble cry
a feeble attempt
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