as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
our grandmother's debility is due in large part to her advanced age
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Recent Examples of debility
In Will There Ever Be Another You, the main character struggles with an illness similar to long COVID, descending into a state of debility and psychosis as readers experience the chaos of her unraveling life.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
—Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
President Biden’s troubles — lingering inflation, wars and rumors of wars, his debility — could have benefited any Republican.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
As with fibroids, hormonal treatments and surgical options can help, though scarring and changes in the nervous system’s threshold for perceiving pain (eventually creating the experience of pain even in the absence of a stimulus) can create long-term debilities.
—Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024
In Amy Schumer’s comedy special Emergency Contact, the comedian talks about developing hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting and might lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and debility.
—Brianna Holt, Vogue, 7 July 2023
Given their ages and debilities, these soldiers had been deemed unfit for active service.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
The Covid-19 pandemic has driven widespread debility, whether a result of distress or the virus itself, compounded in either case by political abandonment and public health failures.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
At 40, Baudelaire was a shadow of his former self, crushed by unrepayable debts, suffering the aftereffects of a seemingly minor stroke, and facing the onset of syphilitic debility.
—Washington Post, 11 May 2022
Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
—Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
President Biden’s troubles — lingering inflation, wars and rumors of wars, his debility — could have benefited any Republican.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
As with fibroids, hormonal treatments and surgical options can help, though scarring and changes in the nervous system’s threshold for perceiving pain (eventually creating the experience of pain even in the absence of a stimulus) can create long-term debilities.
—Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024
In Amy Schumer’s comedy special Emergency Contact, the comedian talks about developing hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting and might lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and debility.
—Brianna Holt, Vogue, 7 July 2023
Given their ages and debilities, these soldiers had been deemed unfit for active service.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
The Covid-19 pandemic has driven widespread debility, whether a result of distress or the virus itself, compounded in either case by political abandonment and public health failures.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
At 40, Baudelaire was a shadow of his former self, crushed by unrepayable debts, suffering the aftereffects of a seemingly minor stroke, and facing the onset of syphilitic debility.
—Washington Post, 11 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debility
Noun
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Trump claimed sweeping victories on crime and border security despite political weakness and record-low approval ratings.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement On social media, people describe suffering from a range of side effects after experimenting with unapproved peptides, including migraines, weakness, depression, nausea and vomiting, and anhedonia, a condition in which people stop being able to experience joy or pleasure.—
Dominique Mosbergen,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The consequences of the fund’s exhaustion in 2040 would be severe for both seniors and health care providers.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
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No bearish divergence, no exhaustion.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That mental fatigue is to be expected, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, after Yamamoto’s two-year transition from Japan’s professional league to back-to-back World Series titles with the Dodgers.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
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Prolonged dehydration can lead to a whole host of health issues, like headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When hair endures damage from styling treatments, color, or heat, the hair’s keratin composition can be compromised, leading to feebleness and a greater risk of breakage.—
Sophie Wirt,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debility. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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