noun
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the state or quality of being infirm
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physical weakness or debility; frailty
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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:
To Thomas, these schemes would present no constitutional infirmity, and courts could do nothing to stop them.
From Slate ● May 23, 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 arrival comes two years after the zoo had to euthanize two of its older female elephants, Ambika, 72, and Shanthi, 45, because of old age and infirmity.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2022
Connie Schultz, a columnist for USA Today, lashed out at critics mocking Fetterman's performance "as if they are immune from the randomness of illness and infirmity."
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2022
The letter that Lord Wyman Manderly had sent back from White Harbor had spoken of his age and infirmity, and little more.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The U.K. offers a cash allowance of up to $260 or so a week for those who struggle with basic functions like bathing, preparing food or managing finances because of physical or mental infirmities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Hiding infirmities from the public is a recurring theme in American politics.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
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
It was a sign of changing times, which were not kind to Feinstein, and not just because of the physical and mental infirmities that came with her advanced age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
But there is an element of machismo in the Sherpa culture that makes many men extremely reluctant to acknowledge physical infirmities.
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.
