frail
52
4.1
- adjective
- /freɪl/
:
frágil
- As she aged, her body became increasingly frail, making her more vulnerable to illness.
- frail elderly people
- frail older people
- frail people
Because they injure or destroy our frail flesh.
- Because they injure or destroy our frail flesh.
- Becky originally was a small, petite and frail white woman.
- And they're also temporary and they're also frail and brittle.
- Not like a great big guy, frail.
- They said it can be quiet and meek and tiny and frail.
- Extremely malnutritioned and and yeah, skinny and frail.
- He says he had diaphanous, transparent skin like, so they certainly had this image of him as being kind of like very frail.
- So when people start getting a bit more I'll overall, they become more frail.
- But when you see this child that I'll show you in these pictures, you could see that it, I was frail.
Examples
-
Her thin arms are hugging her body, and she looks frail and childishly small under the open sky.
Fiction book (1990) -
Look at those frail and fragile boys, it really gets me down
-
But I will not allow you to do the same thing to your dear, frail father.
-
And winter came along, and he was getting old; he was getting frail too.
Academic text (2017) -
I am already old and frail.
-
I found it painful, too, seeing how young and frail she was, and how beautiful.
Fiction book (1993) -
Nursing homes are an expensive way to care for frail, older persons.
Academic text (1997) -
She's so frail and gentle, and she loves you so much.
-
"Myrna got up from her chair, so small and frail that she seemed almost childlike."
Fiction book (1991) -
He's 89 and quite frail.
Synonyms
524
1.0
Not strong in body or muscles and easily tired
188
3.8
Easily broken and needing gentle care
83
3.4
Easily broken or damaged because it is not strong
40
4.2
Very thin and weak in a way that looks unhealthy
31
3.9
Hard and likely to break
25
3.9
Physically or mentally weak and low in energy
25
3.8
Thin and not strong so it breaks or tears easily
5
1.3
Easy to damage or fall into pieces
2
7.0
Physically weak, often with shaky or bent legs
Thin and weak in body, often after an illness
Being weak, unsteady, or slow in thinking because of old age
Antonyms
How Frail
Surface Forms
Etymology
Frail comes from the Latin word fragilis, meaning 'easily broken', and shares its root with fragile and fragment. So imagine something that can break easily — that is why we call a weak body or delicate object frail.