debility

American  

[dih-bil-i-tee] / dɪˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

debilities

1. a weakened or enfeebled state; weakness.

   Debility prevented him from getting out of bed.

2. a particular mental or physical disability.

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debility British  

/ dɪˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. weakness or infirmity

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Etymology

Origin of debility

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English debylite, from Middle French debilite, from Latin dēbilitās, from dēbil ( is ) “weak” + -itās -ity

Explanation

Debility is weakness caused by an illness, injury, or aging. Very elderly people often need extra care because of debility. Debility is similar to disability, although the first term tends to describe a slower process of slowing and weakening, either physically or mentally. It comes from the Latin debilitatem, "a weakening," and its roots, the prefix de-, "from or away," and -bilis, "strength." A lack of proper nutrition over a long period can cause debility, and the very act of living to be 120 is sure to result in debility as well.

Example Sentences

If your pain is from nerve compression, a disc issue or joint degeneration, inactivity can cause muscles to tighten, pain to worsen, loss of physical condition and more debility.

From Science Daily • Dec. 15, 2025

This season, the writers on “Succession” have been playing up the age-related debility and mental fogginess of their crotchety corporate monarch.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2021

Whence the debility, the infantile degeneration of this imaginary.

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2020

If the demise of the Warsaw Pact signaled Russian debility, the 1991 Persian Gulf war, when Saddam Hussein tried to gobble up Kuwait, confirmed it.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2017

Some stretched themselves on the ground, and expired of mere famine and debility; nor was death any longer regarded as an evil, but rather as a welcome relief from a life of horror and despair.”

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3 by Whymper, Frederick