noun
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the state or quality of being infirm
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physical weakness or debility; frailty
-
a moral flaw or failing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of infirmity
1325–75; Middle English infirmite < Latin infirmitās. See infirm, -ity
Explanation
A weakness or disability, especially due to old age, is called an infirmity. The noun infirmity, when used alone, is generally understood to mean physical frailty. If you want to imply mental weakness or some other disability, then use an adjective for clarity, as in this example: "His mental infirmity was caused by an early onset of Alzheimer's disease." Don't confuse infirmity with infirmary. The latter is a place where the sick and infirm go to recover: "Because of her infirmity, she often ended up being seen by doctors at the infirmary."
Vocabulary lists containing infirmity
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Julius Caesar
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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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:
On the whole, Americans don’t do that, largely believing that age and infirmity only matter if they impede on a person’s ability to do their job.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2025
The old guard has a lock on how things run—and OK, yes, at least a few of them seem to be dealing with actual infirmity.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2024
Even as Feinstein sought reelection in 2018 at age 85, when her infirmity was no secret, she easily turned aside a challenge from the more liberal Kevin de León.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
The bandage drapes the left hamstring, whose infirmity might have made Djokovic’s three-set win over Grigor Dimitrov in Saturday’s third round sort of a surprise.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 21, 2023
Instead of ignoring her infirmity, pretending it was not there, he made it seem like something special and endearing.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
When he studied the brochures of eight CCRCs across the country, the infirmities and dependencies of old age seemed buried.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
But these infirmities are not inevitable, and in recent years doctors have learned a lot more about how to prevent dementia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
There are so many infirmities in this reasoning that it’s hard to know where to start.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025
By then, RayRay was wracked by an assortment of infirmities linked to his advanced age.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
But if I wanted a crack at the summit, I knew that I had no choice but to ignore my infirmities and climb.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
