noun
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physical or moral weakness
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(often plural) a fault symptomatic of moral weakness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of frailty
1300–50; Middle English frailte, frelete < Old French frailete < Latin fragilitāt- (stem of fragilitās ). See frail 1, -ity
Explanation
Frailty describes a quality that's shared by a sick kitten, an elderly man, and a shoddily built go cart. They all have a delicate weakness or vulnerability and seem to require some kind of care. The Old French fraileté, or "weakness" is the root of frailty, and it in turn comes from the Latin word for "fragile," fragilis. What's interesting is that "fragility" was used in the 14th century to mean a kind of moral, rather than physical, weakness. Today frailty can be used this way too, to describe a state of having shaky — or fragile — morals.
Vocabulary lists containing frailty
The Kite Runner
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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Twelfth Night
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sweden, ranked 36th and underdogs in their game against the eighth-ranked Netherlands, lost 5-1 because of the same defensive frailty.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
For Americans with sarcopenic obesity, which is characterized by extra weight and reduced muscle mass in people mostly older than 65, frailty is a major concern.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
But in some instances, it roots out the reasons we do evil to each other, inviting us to consider our human frailty.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
As the struggling men and women in “Land” endure defeat and distrust victory, it is their frailty as much as their strength that wins our sympathy and holds our attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
The rich foods made Catelyn queasy, but it would never do to show frailty when so much depended on her strength.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
It is time to face the fact that Gregg failed to put the death penalty on a sound footing and that nothing can improve on Gregg’s frailties.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Okrent highlights the emotional frailties that coexisted with the brilliance and generosity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
England head to India to launch their World Cup campaign with momentum at their backs, while Sri Lanka have plenty of soul-searching to do with their frailties against spin brutally exposed.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
Evidently, United have not resolved their defensive frailties, but the switch to four at the back from three has not made them worse.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
They understand its difficulties and frailties, its glories and pleasures.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
