frailfrail /freɪl/ ●○○ adjective 
frail elderly people her frail healthfrail body/physiquementally/physically frail► see thesaurus at weak2something that is frail is easily damaged or broken SYN fragile: It seemed impossible that these frail boats could survive in such a storm. the country’s frail economy
WORD ORIGINfrail
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis, from frangere ‘to break’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a frail 85-year-old lady
- A fierce storm engulfed the frail ship.
- She sat up a little straighter, raising her frail body in the bed.
- Walter looked extremely frail and old as he stepped out of the car.
- A fierce gale, huge waves, and a drenching rain bear down upon the frail whaling ship with all their might.
- He looked so frail as I watched Gavin help him out of the car, followed by the cat basket.
- The arm, uplifted in a cheery wave, is bony, frail, almost opalescent.
- The disabled and frail elderly will, of course, have special requirements and will need to select a home with a view to adaptation.
- The old woman was frail as eggshell and blind.
- They would grow into frail and colorless women.
- We're talking 80,000-plus, not a frail 930.
THESAURUSnot physically strong
not physically strong, sometimes because you are ill: · Tom’s had flu and he’s still feeling weak.· The doctors said she was too weak to have an operation.· He suffered constantly from a weak chest.
weak and thin, especially because you are old: · a frail 85-year-old lady· My grandfather’s becoming quite frail now.
feeling weak in your legs and only able to walk slowly and unsteadily: · When I came out of hospital I was a bit shaky for a while.
especially disapproving small, thin, and looking very weak: · his puny white arms· He was a puny little boy who was often bullied at school.
especially written weak and unable to do much because you are very ill, very old or very young: · For a week she was too feeble to get out of bed.· a tiny, feeble baby
weak and often becoming ill easily: · a delicate child· She had rather a delicate constitution (=her body easily became ill).
formal weak or ill for a long time, especially because you are old: · a residential home for people who are elderly and infirm· There are special facilities for wheelchair users and infirm guests.
formal weak or ill because you have not had enough good food to eat: · Half a million people there are severely malnourished.· The organization provides emergency feeding for malnourished children.
easily broken or damaged: · The documents are old and very fragile.· a fragile glass case· The seventeenth century wall hangings are extremely fragile.
easily damaged – used especially about things that are made from thin material and look attractive: · a delicate gold necklace· The plant has delicate blue flowers.· delicate fabrics
brittle hair, nails, bones etc have a hard surface, but they break easily, especially because they are not in good condition: · As you get older, your bones become more brittle.· a special shampoo for dry and brittle hair
breakable objects must be handled carefully because they will break easily: · Put breakable objects out of the reach of children.· breakable ornaments
made of thin material that tears easily, or badly-made and likely to break easily: · a flimsy cotton shirt· a flimsy wooden table
especially literary not strong and therefore easy to break, damage, or hurt: · The young trees are frail and need to be protected from the wind.· a frail little fishing boat· a frail old lady
Longman Language Activatorphysically weak someone who is weak is not strong enough to lift heavy things or do a lot of physical work, especially because they are ill: · When you have flu, you feel tired and weak for a long time.· The child was too weak to undergo a transplant operation.· I can't go running - I've got a weak heart.weak from/with: · The soldiers were weak from hunger and exhaustion.· She felt weak with emotion at the sight of him.
someone who is frail is thin and weak, especially because they are old: · a frail 85-year-old lady· She sat up a little straighter, raising her frail body in the bed.
not physically strong because of being very young, old, ill etc,: · My grandmother's very feeble now and needs someone at home full-time to look after her.· He did not remember his sister at all, except as a tiny, feeble baby.
someone who is fragile is so weak and delicate that they look as if they could easily be hurt: · The baby felt so fragile in his arms.· Two ambulance attendants picked up his fragile body and put him carefully onto a stretcher.
feeling weak in your legs and only able to walk slowly and unsteadily: · Even after the long months of therapy Owen was still very shaky.be shaky on your feet: · Her grandfather was a little shaky on his feet after the fall.shaky steps: · The baby's taken her first few shaky steps.
especially written a man or boy who is puny is small, thin, and looks very weak: · Pete was a puny little boy with short hair and glasses.· His wife was such a big strong woman, she made him look puny.
British informal a man or boy who is weedy is thin and looks weak: · Mouse got his nickname because he was small and weedy.
someone, especially a boy or young man, who is weak and is not willing to fight or defend himself: · Most of the kids were weaklings and were frightened of getting in a fight.
British informal someone, especially a boy or young man, who is thin and weak - sometimes used humorously: · Everyone called me a weed when I was at school because I was so bad at sports.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY frail elderly people her frail healthCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
1someone who is frail is weak and thin because they are old or ill: frail elderly people her frail health· Constipation is uncomfortable, it may cause incontinence, it may cause confusion in some one who is mentally frail.· In the process, it discovered such homes often provided better care for seriously mentally frail elderly people than local authority accommodation.· Long-stay care in hospitals is provided for the physically or mentally frail elderly.
· He was physically frail, but mentally clear.
· He looked so frail as I watched Gavin help him out of the car, followed by the cat basket.· Miss Tish had grown so frail, weakened in mind and spirit.· The Frasque, however, are not so frail.· She was covered with a blanket, so frail that she scarcely formed a mound.· She was so tiny and so frail, and her eyes saw something that was visible to no one else.· He appeared so frail that people taking communion were moved to sympathy.· Flesh is so frail - except yours, Joe!
· The great man himself is now 95 and too frail for any involvement.· With a longer life span, a lot of people are just becoming too frail to take care of themselves.· It looked too frail for his hand.· She got too frail to take care of him at home, and he was put in a nursing home.· A bit too frail and woolly for the rough and tumble of ordinary practice.
· For a very frail person, coming in to assist with eating tea once a week might be a family contribution.· Hilbert would be seventy the following year and Lewis said to his wife that his uncle was beginning to look very frail.· Whether that holds true for very frail old people is doubtful as Wenger herself recognises.· She is very frail and beautiful and both were wildly enthusiastic.
NOUN· But she decided Daniel's frail body would not stand up to the painful general anaesthetics and blocked the treatment.· She smiled and went right on believing in herself and in her frail body.· Even females suffering from anorexia nervosa tend to view their thin, frail bodies as fat and unsightly.
· His age and frail health should not be used as an excuse to allow him to evade trial.· Even had my grandparents wanted to, they could not have traveled because of their frail health.
· There are exercises which even frail people can do.· Hiving off frail people to a fourth age is a rejection.· And the revolution in the structure of services and management meant elderly frail people found it increasingly difficult to assert their rights.· Increasingly, negative attitudes are towards older, frailer people, who are now the main victims of ageism.
frail elderly people her frail healthfrail body/physiquementally/physically frail► see thesaurus at weak2something that is frail is easily damaged or broken SYN fragile: It seemed impossible that these frail boats could survive in such a storm. the country’s frail economy