noun
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physical or moral weakness
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(often plural) a fault symptomatic of moral weakness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of frailty
1300–50; Middle English frailte, frelete < Old French frailete < Latin fragilitāt- (stem of fragilitās ). See frail 1, -ity
Explanation
Frailty describes a quality that's shared by a sick kitten, an elderly man, and a shoddily built go cart. They all have a delicate weakness or vulnerability and seem to require some kind of care. The Old French fraileté, or "weakness" is the root of frailty, and it in turn comes from the Latin word for "fragile," fragilis. What's interesting is that "fragility" was used in the 14th century to mean a kind of moral, rather than physical, weakness. Today frailty can be used this way too, to describe a state of having shaky — or fragile — morals.
Vocabulary lists containing frailty
The Kite Runner
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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Twelfth Night
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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:
Oliver wrote powerful poems about human frailty but spent her days in the woods writing about nature, which she loved as much as she did language.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The woman ate three mouthfuls of the food in June 2024, a month before she died from frailty of old age, the ombudsman's report said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
For Americans with sarcopenic obesity, which is characterized by extra weight and reduced muscle mass in people mostly older than 65, frailty is a major concern.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Higher intakes are sometimes needed during illness, frailty or recovery, unless someone has been advised to restrict protein because of kidney disease or another condition.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2026
Determined not to let his frailty and his stature stand in his way, in high school he went out for every sport he could think of, mastering none but playing all of them tenaciously.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
But did the Lakers fall in love with his legend and ignore his frailties?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
It is time to face the fact that Gregg failed to put the death penalty on a sound footing and that nothing can improve on Gregg’s frailties.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
But after injuries and a mid-season drop in form, Unai Emery's side have shown their frailties recently and there is belief at the City Ground that Forest can prevail after an eight-match unbeaten run.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
But Liverpool's pressure failed to produce a second goal and their defensive frailties were punished in the 56th minute.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
They understand its difficulties and frailties, its glories and pleasures.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
