frailty

[ freyl-tee, frey-uhl- ]

/ ˈfreɪl ti, ˈfreɪ əl- /

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noun, plural frail·ties for 3.

the quality or state of being frail.

moral weakness; liability to yield to temptation.

a fault resulting from moral weakness: frailties of the human flesh.

Nearby words

Origin of frailty

1300–50; Middle English frailte, frelete < Old French frailete < Latin fragilitāt- (stem of fragilitās). See frail¹, -ity

SYNONYMS FOR frailty

1. delicacy, weakness, fragility. 2. susceptibility, suggestibility. 3. flaw, defect.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frailty ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formso·ver·frail·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for frailty

For many seniors, driving represents the difference between isolation and the frailty spiral.
A 100-Year-Old-Driver Crashes into School Kids. Time to Take Grandpa’s Car Keys?|Jamie Reno|August 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“This can then lead to inactivity, which can lead to frailty, then to ill health,” she says.
A 100-Year-Old-Driver Crashes into School Kids. Time to Take Grandpa’s Car Keys?|Jamie Reno|August 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
These Republicans still frighten voters with visions of an old age in poverty and frailty.
Is Paul Ryan Delusional?|Jack W. Germond|April 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
We know too much now about the hollowness of institutions and the frailty of their leaders.
The Naked Truth|Tina Brown|February 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST

This is one of those forms of common speech, that proves the frailty and the presumption of poor mortal at the same time.
Clarissa, Volume 7|Samuel Richardson
Once upon a time there was a peer who knew the frailty of unennobled man.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 146., January 21, 1914|Various
Her frailty, which one can see is caused by consumption in its early stages, makes her beauty the more appealing to Rudolph.
The Complete Opera Book|Gustav Kobb
In the spirit of this anecdote we should expect an archbishop to be as orthodox as the frailty of human nature will allow.
Arrows of Freethought|George W. Foote
The first multiplieth endeavour, the second preventeth error, and the third supplieth the frailty of man.
The Advancement of Learning|Francis Bacon

British Dictionary definitions for frailty

frailty

/ (ˈfreɪltɪ) /

noun plural -ties

physical or moral weakness

(often plural) a fault symptomatic of moral weakness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for frailty

frailty

mid-14c., from Old French fraileté "frailty, weakness," from Latin fragilitatem (nominative fragilitas), from fragilis "fragile" (see fragility). Related: Frailties.

frailty

noun, plural frail·ties for 3.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of frailty

Examples from the Web for frailty

frailty

noun plural -ties

frailty