frail
1 Americanadjective
-
frailer,
comparative
-
frailest
superlative
noun
noun
-
a flexible basket made of rushes, used especially for dried fruits, as dates, figs, or raisins.
-
a certain quantity of raisins, about 75 pounds (34 kilograms), contained in such a basket.
adjective
-
physically weak and delicate
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fragile
a frail craft
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easily corrupted or tempted
noun
-
a rush basket for figs or raisins
-
a quantity of raisins or figs equal to between 50 and 75 pounds
Sensitive Note
This term is sometimes perceived as insulting or condescending when used to refer to a woman, since it reinforces the stereotype of a weak female.
Synonym Usage
Frail, brittle, fragile imply a delicacy or weakness of substance or construction. Frail applies particularly to health and immaterial things: a frail constitution; frail hopes. Brittle implies a hard material that snaps or breaks to pieces easily: brittle as glass. Fragile implies that the object must be handled carefully to avoid breakage or damage: fragile bric-a-brac.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of frail1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English frail(e), frel(e), from Old French, from Latin fragilis fragile
Origin of frail2
First recorded 1300–50; Middle English frayel, fraelle, from Old French frayel; further origin unknown
Explanation
Something that is delicate and fragile can be described as frail. Grandma's favorite vase is probably too frail to use for football practice; some of us have learned that the hard way. Frail can also be used to describe a person's physical condition: "When I broke my grandmother's vase, she yelled in a voice so loud that it was hard to believe it was coming from her small, frail frame." Another way to use frail is in reference to a person's emotional state. As the poet Sylvia Plath astutely observed, "How frail the human heart must be."
Vocabulary lists containing frail
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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"Thank You, M'am"
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The Things They Carried
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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:
"I think it lends itself well to horror when the technology is a bit frail, a bit outdated," said McKellan.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
There are exemptions for being a parent to young children, serving as a caregiver or being medically frail.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Egil dies blind, impotent and frail, but remains a defiant killer and a compelling personality to the end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
He last appeared in public at a May 1 event in front of the US embassy in Havana, where he appeared frail, and was shown on state television at events in June.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Vernon Devine seemed more frail than I had imagined.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
That made it possible for older, frailer patients to survive with “mini-transplants.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
This previously manifested through mostly vibes-based measures: Does his voice sound a little frailer?
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2025
All three can also be self-reinforcing over time: people who are lonely and socially isolated may become frailer, and as they become frailer, their sense of isolation and loneliness grows.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2024
As one patient commented to the subsequent report: "This is hugely beneficial to people on the small islands. Much less upheaval for frailer patients."
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2024
Neither of his parents is old, but they seem frailer than they should be at their age.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
They have needed fewer GP and hospital visits, but the biggest impact has been among some of the frailest patients.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2023
Unable to speak, Qawasmi, 24, is the frailest of the six.
From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2021
At Life Care, where elderly and sick people come to heal from broken hips and strokes, or simply to live out their frailest years, the death toll has continued to climb.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 6, 2020
The National Institutes of Health will retire all but the frailest of its 257 remaining chimps to a federally funded sanctuary in Louisiana within the next several years.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2018
No thread, no frailest hair between myself and the universal clutter!
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
