frail
1 Americanadjective
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
-
fragile
a frail craft
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Thank You, M'am"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Things They Carried
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“People have a very difficult time putting themselves in their own future, in their more frail bodies,” Geber said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
Although increasingly frail and confined to a wheelchair, he was actively involved in the staging of a wide-ranging exhibition of his career in Paris in April 2025.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
But despite the jump in inflation expectations, signs of higher energy costs feeding through to broader price pressures so far look limited given the frail economic outlook and growing distress within the U.K. labor market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
His house in the Hills remained a sanctuary until his final years, when he was too frail to travel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Even in her frail condition, Miss Swanburne took a special interest in you.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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
“The man is frailer than he looks,” Dan said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
For the oldest, the improvements were lost entirely, and they were frailer than those of the same age living in the prior decade, experts say.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2024
She was smaller and frailer than her sister, but her hair was long and still golden.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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
To date, 78 of Ukraine’s frailest Holocaust survivors, of whom there are some 10,000, have been evacuated.
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2022
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
But he was also the frailest, and when colds or flu or virus infections came around he was the first to catch them and the slowest to recover.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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.
