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
Synonym Usage
See weak.
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
You know how you feel when you can’t open a jar of pickles? And then grandma walks in and does it in one shot without even grunting? That’s called feeling feeble, or lacking strength. In fact, feeble, comes from the Latin word flebilis, which means "lamentable" or "unsatisfactory." But don’t let it get to you. Your puny, inferior muscles are nothing compared to the guy who makes feeble attempts at humor. Lame-o jokes are way more lamentable than inadequate biceps.
Vocabulary lists containing feeble
List 3
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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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:
The film "mucks up Orwell", according to the Wall Street Journal,, external who surmised: "As comedy, the movie is feeble, and as allegory for the socioeconomically literate it is heavy-handed."
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
There’s a well-known scene from a 2001 episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants” in which a mob of fish mistakes a feeble old man for a bully and attacks him.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Most of his defenders found this argument to be feeble.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
The International Monetary Fund said Monday that U.K. economic growth is expected to slow to 1.3% this year, compared with 1.4% in 2025, highlighting the feeble nature of an economic recovery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
I would wake up full of rage, a feeble shaky rage that turned into feeble tears.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
In a feebler, curious state, falsehoods can take root while truth slips through our hands, and vice versa.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
He was atop the gate again during last year’s 70th anniversary celebrations, looking much feebler as he was helped to his feet beside Xi.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
The storm surge along the coast was feebler than feared in many places, and the Mississippi River stayed well below the tops of the levees.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2019
Is it any wonder that Rhode Island’s economy is consequently feebler than it should be, leaving its residents with less money in their pockets and fewer opportunities to get ahead?
From Washington Times ● May 18, 2018
She did not answer, but merely crossed out a few of his feebler sentences in a weary sort of way.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
And yet, time and time again, powerful corporations have been allowed to pursue their cases, often all the way to a victory, with the feeblest claims of harm.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2025
But they weakened their endorsement after several members had questions about how well it works in the feeblest of patients, whether boosters will be needed and be effective, and the cost.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
They are all diegetic — actual numbers performed by the characters — and are thus connected to the story, as in a jukebox musical, by only the feeblest of threads.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2022
“It emits the feeblest of light and needs a vast darkness around it to attract its prey.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2021
Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us—there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
