frailty
FRAYL-tee
/ˈfreɪl.ti/
The condition of being weak and delicate, physically or morally.
In medical contexts, frailty is a specific syndrome of reduced physiological reserve; in general literature, it refers to vulnerability or moral weakness.
The story behind the word. Frailty came into Middle English via Old French frelete, stemming from the Latin fragilis ('breakable', from frangere, 'to break'). While 'fragile' took a direct Latin path into English to describe brittle objects, 'frail' evolved through French to describe human vulnerability of body and character.
Word relationships
- feebleness: Feebleness emphasizes lack of strength, while frailty highlights delicate vulnerability to injury or collapse.
- delicacy: Delicacy implies elegance or fine texture, whereas frailty emphasizes weakness and susceptibility.
- robustness: Robustness denotes sturdy strength and vigor, the direct opposite of frailty.
- resilience: Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from hardship or strain.
Commonly confused with
- fragility: Fragility usually applies to brittle physical objects (like glass), whereas frailty applies to human physical or moral weakness.
Word family
- frail (adjective): Weak and delicate.
Collocations
- physical frailty
- human frailty
- frailty index
- assess frailty
Idioms & expressions
- frailty of human nature
Example sentences
- "Frailty, thy name is woman!" Literary classic (William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 2))
- "Physical therapy and resistance exercise can help reverse muscle loss and reduce frailty in older adults." Clinical geriatrics
Memory hook
Frail sounds like fail—when strength fails, frailty sets in. Easily broken in body or resolve.
When not to use
Do not use frailty to describe temporary tiredness after a workout; it implies a deep-seated structural or constitutional vulnerability.
Fun facts
- In geriatric medicine, 'frailty syndrome' is officially measured using five criteria: unintended weight loss, exhaustion, muscle weakness, slow walking speed, and low physical activity.
Related words
Explore more words
degenerate, tenderness, tender, vulnerability, emaciated, geriatric
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