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frailness

frailness

5.1
Weak health that often appears in older people
  • noun
  • /ˈfreɪl.nəs/
translation icon : fragilidad
  • An outsider, noticing her pale frailness, might have thought her ill.

Examples

  • She seemed frail beside him and aware of that frailness.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Malina feels the frailness in her bones.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Part of a feminine appearance is frailness and purity.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The reasons for this are varied and include the frailness of regime norms and the lack of networks of reciprocities and political exchange relations.

    Academic text (1995)
  • But really, Gee. " Cee Cee got out of the car and walked to where he was standing to give him a hug, startled when she did at the bony frailness under the layered clothes.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • As she aged, her frailness became more apparent, requiring her family to provide extra support.

  • The elderly man's frailness made it difficult for him to walk without assistance.

  • Despite her frailness, she maintained a positive spirit and engaged in conversations with everyone around her.

Synonyms

weakness
vsfrailness
133 1.4

Lack of physical or mental strength that makes someone less able to act

is specific to delicate bodily health rather than general lack of strength
infirmity
vsfrailness
8 6.6

A weakness that makes it hard to do everyday things, often after illness or old age

limits sense to bodily fragility rather than including mental weakness
frailty
vsfrailness
3 5.0

A state of being physically weak often from old age or illness

has identical meaning but is an alternative word form
feebleness
vsfrailness
1 4.8

A state of being physically weak because of age or illness

emphasizes fragile, delicate bodily health rather than general weakness
debility
vsfrailness
1 8.2

Weakness in the body that follows illness or old age

focuses on delicate body condition more than mere low strength
littleness
vsfrailness
8.0

A small amount of strength or force

refers to fragile bodily health in older people rather than abstract smallness
tenuousness
vsfrailness
8.1

A weak or slight state often about ideas and relationships

applies to body weakness rather than abstract lack of substance

Antonyms

1.2

Physical or mental power a person has to act

16 4.6

Ability of a living thing to survive and grow

How Frail

decrepitude
2 9.3
frailness
5.1
vulnerability
156 5.1
good health
82 1.0

Surface Forms

frailness singular
frailnesses plural

Morphology

frailness = frail (transparent) = frail + ness

The noun denotes the state or quality of being frail and is a regular formation from the adjective 'frail' with '-ness'.

Etymology

Frailness comes from the adjective frail, which goes back to Latin fragilis meaning 'easily broken', the same root as the English word fragile. So frailness is the state of being 'easily broken' or weak, which helps explain why we use it for people who are delicate in health or old age.