Synonyms of frail

frail

adjective

ˈfrāl 

1

as in fragile

easily broken

a frail eggshell

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fragile
• delicate
• brittle
• breakable
• weak
• frangible
• feeble
• fine
• short
• infirm
• tenuous
• dainty
• flimsy
• soft
• shaky
• gossamer
• friable
• slight
• spindly
• flaky
• crumbly
• crisp
• crispy
• tender
• inflexible
• inelastic
• flakey
• stiff
• shivery
• eggshell
• crushable
• embrittled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• sturdy
• tough
• unbreakable
• rigid
• substantial
• solid
• hard
• compact
• unyielding
• firm
• resilient
• elastic
• flexible
• infrangible
• supple
• nonbreakable
• rubbery
• springy
• stretch
• rubberlike
• stretchable

2

as in sensitive

easily injured without careful handling

be careful with your grandmother, as she's very frail and a fall would be disastrous

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fragile
• sensitive
• delicate
• weak
• vulnerable
• tender
• feeble
• brittle
• soft
• friable
• puny
• breakable
• tenuous
• flimsy
• susceptible
• slight
• perishable
• frangible
• crushable
• eggshell
• yielding
• resistless
• unresistant
• nonhardy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• tough
• substantial
• hard
• solid
• sturdy
• hardy
• stiff
• resistant
• robust
• sound
• durable
• stout
• rugged
• firm
• unbreakable
• flinty
• hardened
• tempered
• strengthened
• infrangible
• nonbreakable
• toughened
• inured

3

as in weak

lacking bodily strength

he was frail after a long battle with bronchitis

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weak
• feeble
• weakened
• infirm
• disabled
• faint
• debilitated
• enfeebled
• paralyzed
• soft
• vulnerable
• languid
• slight
• tired
• wimpy
• fragile
• asthenic
• delicate
• unsubstantial
• incapacitated
• softened
• effete
• injured
• tender
• prostrate
• exhausted
• low
• down-and-out
• wasted
• weary
• enervated
• wimpish
• prostrated
• sapped
• challenged
• unsteady
• decrepit
• powerless
• invalid
• impotent
• flimsy
• drained
• damaged
• dizzy
• susceptible
• breakable
• impaired
• lame
• rocky
• hurt
• broken-down
• woozy
• groggy
• unsound
• resistless
• flagging
• worn-out
• yielding
• unresistant
• harmed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• powerful
• strong
• mighty
• stout
• muscular
• rugged
• stalwart
• athletic
• sinewy
• virile
• husky
• sturdy
• beefy
• hardy
• hard
• robust
• brawny
• tough
• fit
• able-bodied
• lusty
• vigorous
• hardened
• energetic
• healthy
• fortified
• capable
• strengthened
• sound
• competent
• strapping
• hale
• energized
• toughened
• recovering
• inured
• red-blooded
• vitalized
• invigorated
• convalescing
• recuperating

4

as in weakened

lacking strength of will or character

a frail person, easily swayed by others

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weak
• weakened
• soft
• meek
• timid
• corrupt
• wimpy
• nerveless
• spineless
• characterless
• effete
• wimpish
• weakling
• milk-and-water
• invertebrate
• wet
• weak-kneed
• flabby
• ineffectual
• limp-wristed
• powerless
• wishy-washy
• ineffective
• namby-pamby
• flaccid
• impotent
• infirm
• pliable
• forceless
• submissive
• craven
• unnerved
• lamblike
• irresolute
• emasculated
• unscrupulous
• villainous
• cowardly
• unprincipled
• pusillanimous
• dastardly
• sissy
• impuissant
• fainthearted
• nebbishy
• vacillating
• poltroon
• lily-livered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strong
• hard
• tough
• firm
• good
• moral
• virtuous
• right
• upright
• righteous
• ethical
• principled
• resolute
• backboned
• unrelenting
• determined
• courageous
• stalwart
• mettlesome
• stouthearted

5

as in small

small in degree

a frail hope of success

Synonyms & Similar Words

• small
• slim
• off
• fragile
• slight
• outside
• remote
• negligible
• marginal
• tiny
• minimal
• minor
• little

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• large
• great
• significant
• distinct
• healthy
• substantial
• considerable
• goodly
• respectable
• sizable
• sizeable
• tidy
• largish

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective frail contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of frail are decrepit, feeble, fragile, infirm, and weak. While all these words mean "not strong enough to endure strain, pressure, or strenuous effort," frail implies delicacy and slightness of constitution or structure.

a frail teenager unable to enjoy sports

When would decrepit be a good substitute for frail?

The words decrepit and frail can be used in similar contexts, but decrepit implies being worn-out or broken-down from long use or old age.

the dowager's decrepit retainers

When could feeble be used to replace frail?

While the synonyms feeble and frail are close in meaning, feeble suggests extreme weakness inviting pity or contempt.

a feeble attempt to walk

When can fragile be used instead of frail?

In some situations, the words fragile and frail are roughly equivalent. However, fragile suggests frailty and brittleness unable to resist rough usage.

a reclusive poet too fragile for the rigors of this world

Where would infirm be a reasonable alternative to frail?

While in some cases nearly identical to frail, infirm suggests instability, unsoundness, and insecurity due to old age or crippling illness.

infirm residents requiring constant care

When is weak a more appropriate choice than frail?

The words weak and frail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, weak applies to deficiency or inferiority in strength or power of any sort.

felt weak after the surgery

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frail

This was the spring of 2020, however, and the impossibilities of international travel, and my dad’s frail health, delayed the journey. —Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025

The op-ed also followed Biden's frail performance against President Donald Trump in the June 27 presidential debate. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Wharton believes in the real Gilead, the place that saved his frail daughter, Rose, after America killed his wife. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025

Simply put, the program serves lower-income older adults who are frail, chronically ill, with potentially significant functional and cognitive impairments but who can still live in their own homes. —Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025