ENGLISH
REFERENCE

frailty

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US //ˈfɹeɪɫti// UK //fɹˈeɪlti// frailty

n. the state of being physically weak or easily broken. It can also describe a lack of strength in a person's character or a system.

n. the state of being physically weak or easily broken; a lack of strength or stability in a person, system, or structure.


SIMPLE

The old man's frailty made it hard for him to walk.

CONTEXTUAL

The architect warned that the building's structural frailty could lead to a collapse during a storm.

COMPLEX

The protagonist's journey is defined by a struggle against his own physical frailty, which serves as a metaphor for the inevitable decline of human ambition.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English frelete, frailte, from Old French fraileté, from Latin fragilitās. By surface analysis, frail + -ty. Doublet of fragility.

© 2026 English Reference