1
as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
an 18th-century quack who specialized in those mysterious infirmities that are known only to the idle rich
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
a period of infirmity left the athlete completely out of shape
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of infirmity
The decision of Democrats to ignore Biden’s infirmity and boost him in 2024 looked risky at the time.
—
Michael Graham, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
The president’s own obvious aged infirmity was what ultimately caused Democrats to force him out of the 2024 race, but his son’s many years of shabby buckraking, both in active addiction and recovery, helped destroy Joe Biden’s image as a straight shooter.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 13 May 2025
Despite his infirmities, Washington served his nation again by running for a second term.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
This decision, framed by loyalty and political considerations, obscured the president’s infirmity at a moment of pivotal international consequence.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infirmity
Michael Graham, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
The president’s own obvious aged infirmity was what ultimately caused Democrats to force him out of the 2024 race, but his son’s many years of shabby buckraking, both in active addiction and recovery, helped destroy Joe Biden’s image as a straight shooter.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 13 May 2025
Despite his infirmities, Washington served his nation again by running for a second term.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
This decision, framed by loyalty and political considerations, obscured the president’s infirmity at a moment of pivotal international consequence.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infirmity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infirmity
Noun
-
But warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, disease and human activity, such as pollution, have severely degraded Florida's reefs, according to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
In the series, Marie, an ambitious young woman of minor nobility, learns that her lung disease is terminal.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Though the Red Sox did shoot themselves in the foot with base-running, fielding and bunting failures in Game 2, thus costing them their shot at reaching the ALDS, Game 3 was a bit more representative of the Red Sox and their weaknesses.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
However, other small business indicators show weakness.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness, according to the Food and Drug Administration.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Timely treatment of acute illnesses and consistent management of chronic conditions or special needs are also vital to prevent deterioration and long-term consequences into adulthood.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Additionally, multitasking contributes to mental fatigue and negatively impacts overall well-being, with some participants reporting feelings of exhaustion after.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
An intimate portrait of love and exhaustion that finds the comic edge in ordinary chaos.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos, who is a reliable depth piece for them, went down with a hamstring injury, while linebacker Dee Winters suffered a shoulder ailment.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
For centuries, such conditions have not even been considered to be health issues in the same way that physical ailments are, and have been dismissed as hysteria or even weakness.—
Alice Park,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The retraction was expected by many nutrition experts, who have long questioned claims that this kind of vinegar could remedy ills including obesity, diabetes, and even cancer.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Orbán has long sought to consolidate his power through concocting scapegoats for Hungary’s ills.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
Gein’s sickness is singular and curable, but ours, as a society, is out of control and hopeless?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The idea of green sickness comes out of Renaissance medicine, which in turn took a page from Hippocrates’s rediscovered book On the Disease of Virgins.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infirmity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infirmity. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share