frailty

[freyl-tee, frey-uhl-]

noun

plural

frailties 

1. the quality or state of being frail.

   Synonyms: weakness, delicacy

2. moral weakness; liability to yield to temptation.

3. a fault resulting from moral weakness.

   frailties of the human flesh.

   Synonyms: defect, flaw

frailty

/ ˈfreɪltɪ /

noun

1. physical or moral weakness

2. (often plural) a fault symptomatic of moral weakness

Other Word Forms

• overfrailty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of frailty¹

1300–50; Middle English frailte, frelete < Old French frailete < Latin fragilitāt- (stem of fragilitās ). See frail ¹, -ity

Example Sentences

Crystal Palace's rising stature spread to Selhurst Park's "Holmesdale Fanatics" as they watched the frailties Liverpool have shown this season being brutally exposed.

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City have been surprisingly poor and, despite United's own frailties this season, Amorim's men may target two specific weaknesses.

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She denied that there was a "big conspiracy" to hide Biden's frailty and described the former president as "a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction, able to discharge the duties of president".

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All of those sides - not just Brugge and Celtic - are capable of feasting on their frailties.

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But he added: "As we age, our relative frailty means that older drivers are often over represented in serious injury collisions, particularly for the age group of 80 and above."

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Related Words

• defect 
• deficiency 
• failing 
• fallibility 
• foible 
• imperfection 
• infirmity 
• shortcoming