frailty

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

frail·ty

(frāl′tē)

n. pl. frail·ties

1. The condition or quality of being frail.

2. A fault, especially a moral weakness.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

frailty

(ˈfreɪltɪ)

n, pl -ties

1. physical or moral weakness

2. (often plural) a fault symptomatic of moral weakness

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

frail•ty

(ˈfreɪl ti, ˈfreɪ əl-)

n., pl. -ties.

1. the quality or state of being frail.

2. a fault resulting from moral weakness.

[1300–50; Middle English frailte, frelete < Old French frailete < Latin fragilitās. See frail¹, -ity]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	frailty - the state of being weak in health or body (especially from old age) debility, feebleness, frailness, infirmity, valetudinarianism unfitness, softness - poor physical condition; being out of shape or out of condition (as from a life of ease and luxury) asthenia, astheny - an abnormal loss of strength cachexia, cachexy, wasting - any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
	2.	frailty - moral weakness vice evilness, evil - the quality of being morally wrong in principle or practice; "attempts to explain the origin of evil in the world"

frailty

noun

1. weakness, susceptibility, fallibility, peccability a triumph of will over human frailty
weakness might, strength, fortitude, robustness

2. infirmity, poor health, feebleness, puniness, frailness She died after a long period of increasing frailty.

3. fault, failing, vice, weakness, defect, deficiency, flaw, shortcoming, blemish, imperfection, foible, weak point, peccadillo, chink in your armour She is aware of his faults and frailties.
fault asset, virtue, strong point

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

frailty

noun

1. The condition of being infirm or physically weak:

debility, decrepitude, delicacy, delicateness, feebleness, flimsiness, fragileness, fragility, frailness, infirmity, insubstantiality, puniness, unsoundness, unsubstantiality, weakliness, weakness.

2. An imperfection of character:

failing, fault, foible, infirmity, shortcoming, weakness, weak point.

Translations

ضَعْف، وَهَن

slabostchybakřehkost

svagelighedsvaghed

faiblesse fragilité infirmité

gyarlóság

veikleiki; breyskleiki

debolezza fragilità [di persona]

frailty

[ˈfreɪltɪ] N [of person] → debilidad f; [of health] → lo delicado, fragilidad f; [of happiness] → lo efímero; [of character] → flaqueza f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

frailty

[ˈfreɪlti] n

(= weakness) → faiblesse f
the frailties of human nature → les faiblesses de la nature humaine

(= poor health) → fragilité f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

frailty

(= weakness, of person) → Gebrechlichkeit f; (of health) → Zartheit f, → Anfälligkeit f

(= fragility, of structure) → Fragilität f; (of boat, aircraft) → leichte Bauart; (fig, of hope) → Schwäche f; (of ego) → Labilität f; frailty, thy name is woman → Schwachheit, dein Name ist Weib

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

frailty

[ˈfreɪltɪ] n (see adj) → fragilità; (imperfection) → debolezza

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

frail

(freil) adjective

weak, especially in health. a frail old lady.

ˈfrailty – plural ˈfrailties – noun

physical weakness or (a) moral failing. She loved him in spite of his frailties.

References in classic literature ?

There remains, then, the character between these two extremes,- -that of a man who is not eminently good and just,-yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty. He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous,--a personage like Oedipus, Thyestes, or other illustrious men of such families.

It should come about as the result not of vice, but of some great error or frailty, in a character either such as we have described, or better rather than worse.

View in context

It may serve, let us hope, to symbolise some sweet moral blossom that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow

View in context

(much too high for a heathen), It is true greatness, to have in one the frailty of a man, and the security of a God.

View in context

what should be leaving my room, as I advanced to enter it, but--well, it's no use, resolutions are all very well, but facts are facts, especially when they're natural, and here was I face to face with the most natural little natural fact, and withal the most charming and merry-eyed, that-- well, in short, as I came to enter my room I was confronted by the roundest, ruddiest little chambermaid ever created for the trial of mortal frailty.

View in context

With the precision and definiteness customary in addressing prisoners, and which is supposed to preclude human frailty, Pierre like the others was questioned as to who he was, where he had been, with what object, and so on.

View in context

He sees through them, and all that he sees is their frailty, their meagreness, their sordidness, their pitifulness.

View in context

Jimmie thought he had a great idea of women's frailty, but he could not understand why any of his kin should be victims.

View in context

A careless hand or human frailty shows.--MR FRANCIS.

View in context

I grow timid when I am face to face with my human frailty, which ever prevents me from grasping all the factors in any problem - human, vital problems, you know."

You spoke yourself of the human frailty that prevented one from taking all the factors into consideration.

View in context

Hug me once for luck, dear Emmie; a careful hug, remembering our butter- muslin frailty!"

View in context

CITE

Site: Follow: Share:

Open / Close