1
: easily led into evil
frail humanity
2
: easily broken or destroyed : fragile
frail, open-cockpit biplanes …Jonathan Weiner
3
a
: physically weak
a frail old woman
a frail voice
b
: slight, unsubstantial
smiled a minute frail smileRaymond Chandler
frailly adverb
frailness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for frail

weak, feeble, frail, fragile, infirm, decrepit mean not strong enough to endure strain, pressure, or strenuous effort.

weak applies to deficiency or inferiority in strength or power of any sort.

felt weak after the surgery

feeble suggests extreme weakness inviting pity or contempt.

a feeble attempt to walk

frail implies delicacy and slightness of constitution or structure.

a frail teenager unable to enjoy sports

fragile suggests frailty and brittleness unable to resist rough usage.

a reclusive poet too fragile for the rigors of this world

infirm suggests instability, unsoundness, and insecurity due to old age or disabling illness.

infirm residents requiring constant care

decrepit implies being worn-out or broken-down from long use or old age.

the dowager's decrepit retainers

Examples of frail in a Sentence

In his old age his health became increasingly frail. a small and frail ship
Recent Examples on the Web Francis’ choice to skip the strenuous speech at the outset of a week that culminates in the Easter celebration of the resurrection of Christ amounted to a highly unusual move that immediately raised concerns about the pope’s health, which is increasingly frail. Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Betz's daughter became increasingly worried about how frail her mother was and pushed her to see a specialist. Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024 Climate change generally affects the most underserved communities in each country—those that lack reliable access to health care and whose socioeconomic conditions are more frail. Rob Reddick, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024 Spring came, and my father got sicker and sicker, more and more frail. Emily Ziff Griffin, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024 Oppenheimer was incredibly physically frail, but just so intellectually robust and strong. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024 One person briefed on the talks said there were indications that both Hamas and Israel were willing to negotiate over an interim deal that could exchange 35 Israeli hostages who are either medically frail or older for an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 The Sun Devils looked frail in the season opener, falling to Mississippi State by 15 points. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 9 Jan. 2024 Any lot code Symptoms of and treatment for salmonella disease Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, according to the FDA. James Powel, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English frele, frayle, borrowed from Anglo-French frel, fraile, going back to Latin fragilis "liable to break, weak" — more at fragile

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of frail was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near frail

Cite this Entry

“Frail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frail. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

frail

adjective
1
: easily led into evil
frail humanity
2
3
: not having normal strength or force
spoke in a frail voice
frailly adverb
frailness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on frail

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