feeble
Americanadjective
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physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail.
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weak intellectually or morally.
a feeble mind.
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lacking in volume, loudness, brightness, distinctness, etc..
a feeble voice; feeble light.
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lacking in force, strength, or effectiveness.
feeble resistance; feeble arguments.
adjective
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lacking in physical or mental strength; frail; weak
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inadequate; unconvincing
feeble excuses
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easily influenced or indecisive
Related Words
See weak.
Other Word Forms
- feebleness noun
- feeblish adjective
- feebly adverb
- nonfeeble adjective
- nonfeebleness noun
- nonfeebly adverb
- unfeeble adjective
- unfeebleness noun
- unfeebly adverb
Etymology
Origin of feeble
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
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.
Was their feeble demise a window to their collective soul, a reflection of their spirit under the new, and surely doomed, manager?
From BBC
It was a worryingly feeble showing on the biggest stage.
From BBC
He appears mentally unstable and physically feeble, clinging to his lectern as if it were a walker.
From Salon
However, experts said that even a partial blockade will be a major hit for Venezuela’s feeble economy, already reeling under more than a decade of U.S. penalties.
From Los Angeles Times
“Available data sources suggest employers shed jobs in the fourth quarter amid federal layoffs and feeble private hiring,” said Bill Adams, chief economist of Comerica Bank.
From MarketWatch
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.
