frailty
/ˈfreɪlti
/noun (plural frailties) [mass noun]
1The condition of being weak and delicate: the increasing frailty of old age...
- This gradual loss has been tied to protein deficiency, lack of exercise, and increased frailty among the elderly.
- Despite her age and increasing frailty she was out on the streets last year in her wheelchair, raising more than £50.
- That ageing is an independent contributor is not surprising, because frailty increases with age, raising the risk of falls and failure of other organ systems.
Synonyms
infirmity, infirmness, weakness, weakliness, feebleness, enfeeblement, debility, incapacity, impairment, indisposition;
fragility, delicacy, slightness, puniness;
illness, sickness, sickliness, ill health;
decrepitude, dodderiness, shakiness
informal weediness
1.1Weakness in character or morals: all drama begins with human frailty [count noun]: you’re too self-righteous to see your own frailties...
- Its characters offer human frailties, weaknesses and moral dilemmas that draw us in.
- And it reveals the character's human frailties, without justifying or condemning his actions.
- It's the foibles and frailties of the characters we love the most.
Synonyms
weakness, susceptibility, impressionability, vulnerability, fallibility;
foible, weak point, flaw, blemish, imperfection, defect, failing, fault, shortcoming, deficiency, inadequacy, limitation
informal hang-up, chink in one's armour
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'weakness in morals'): from Old French frailete, from Latin fragilitas, from fragilis (see fragile).