frailty

[freyl-tee, frey-uhl-]

noun

plural

frailties 

1. the quality or state of being frail.

   Synonyms: weakness, delicacy

2. moral weakness; liability to yield to temptation.

3. a fault resulting from moral weakness.

   frailties of the human flesh.

   Synonyms: defect, flaw

frailty

/ ˈfreɪltɪ /

noun

1. physical or moral weakness

2. (often plural) a fault symptomatic of moral weakness

Other Word Forms

• overfrailty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of frailty¹

1300–50; Middle English frailte, frelete < Old French frailete < Latin fragilitāt- (stem of fragilitās ). See frail ¹, -ity

Example Sentences

It pauses the trade war, removes immediate economic threats and allows Beijing to focus on its domestic frailties.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Rangers defenders remonstrated with each other, but it was the kind of frailty everyone has seen from them for quite a while.

Read more on BBC

Initially, Liverpool appeared to struggle with the system and once again their defensive frailties were exposed as they were cut open by a sweeping Eintracht Frankfurt counter for the opener.

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Californians watched as the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, another D.C. power player from San Francisco, teetered into frailty, muddled through her final chapter in Washington and then died in office at 90 in 2023.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Slot's men face Ruben Amorim's Manchester United and if United are to get anything from the game, they will need to look to take advantage of some of Liverpool's recent frailties.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• defect 
• deficiency 
• failing 
• fallibility 
• foible 
• imperfection 
• infirmity 
• shortcoming