feeble

[ fee-buhl ]
See synonyms for feeble on Thesaurus.com
adjective,fee·bler, fee·blest.
  1. physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail.

  2. weak intellectually or morally: a feeble mind.

  1. lacking in volume, loudness, brightness, distinctness, etc.: a feeble voice; feeble light.

  2. lacking in force, strength, or effectiveness: feeble resistance; feeble arguments.

Origin of feeble

1
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English feble, from Old French, variant of fleible (by dissimilation), from Latin flēbilis “lamentable,” equivalent to flēre “to weep” + -bilis-ble

synonym study For feeble

1. See weak.

Other words from feeble

  • fee·ble·ness, noun
  • feeblish, adjective
  • feebly, adverb
  • non·fee·ble, adjective
  • non·fee·ble·ness, noun
  • non·fee·b·ly, adverb
  • un·fee·ble, adjective
  • un·fee·ble·ness, noun
  • un·fee·b·ly, adverb

Words Nearby feeble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use feeble in a sentence

  • This was somewhat tiresome; and, after a rather feeble attempt at a third laugh, Davy said, "I don't feel like it any more."

    Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl
  • The General in command of the station was a feeble old man, suffering from senile decay.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • The gnarled hands shut up into clenched fists, and the feeble voice trailed off in an agonized moan.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • The machine penetrated everywhere, thrusting aside with its gigantic arm the feeble efforts of handicraft.

  • Her heart had always been weak, I'd known that, and it had gradually grown more feeble.

    Uncanny Tales | Various

British Dictionary definitions for feeble

feeble

/ (ˈfiːbəl) /


adjective
  1. lacking in physical or mental strength; frail; weak

  2. inadequate; unconvincing: feeble excuses

  1. easily influenced or indecisive

Origin of feeble

1
C12: from Old French feble, fleible, from Latin flēbilis to be lamented, from flēre to weep

Derived forms of feeble

  • feebleness, noun
  • feebly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012