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
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
Has our battle with COVID-19 come to such a standstill that a slow burn of disruption, debility, and death will continue for years to come?
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 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
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
Has our battle with COVID-19 come to such a standstill that a slow burn of disruption, debility, and death will continue for years to come?
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 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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Angela, a choir director and family history consultant for her local church, was first hospitalized on March 6 complaining of dizziness and weakness.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
15 July 2025
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The weakness could be due to the new 30% tariffs that President Donald Trump threatened against the European Union and Mexico over the weekend.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The result can feel like exhaustion, even when the change is welcome.—
Inga Bielińska,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
That last one was a mild surprise since he’s avoided his Michael Jackson parodies over the past few years due the revelations of Finding Neverland, and simple exhaustion after playing them every show going back to the Eighties.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
13 July 2025
Noun
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During this phase, people with migraines often develop symptoms that are characteristic and recognizable, like dizziness, fatigue, difficulty focusing, sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia), neck pain and stiffness before the onset of actual head pain, Pavlovic explains.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Flow Space,
14 July 2025
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There is excitement and motivation, but also fatigue, irritability and unexpected stress.—
Inga Bielińska,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debility. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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