noun
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the state or quality of being infirm
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physical weakness or debility; frailty
-
a moral flaw or failing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of infirmity
1325–75; Middle English infirmite < Latin infirmitās. See infirm, -ity
Explanation
A weakness or disability, especially due to old age, is called an infirmity. The noun infirmity, when used alone, is generally understood to mean physical frailty. If you want to imply mental weakness or some other disability, then use an adjective for clarity, as in this example: "His mental infirmity was caused by an early onset of Alzheimer's disease." Don't confuse infirmity with infirmary. The latter is a place where the sick and infirm go to recover: "Because of her infirmity, she often ended up being seen by doctors at the infirmary."
Vocabulary lists containing infirmity
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Julius Caesar
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She seems to demand as much attention as a newborn infant by weaponizing her exaggerated infirmity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
The old guard has a lock on how things run—and OK, yes, at least a few of them seem to be dealing with actual infirmity.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2024
The arrival comes two years after the zoo had to euthanize two of its older female elephants, Ambika, 72, and Shanthi, 45, because of old age and infirmity.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2022
Connie Schultz, a columnist for USA Today, lashed out at critics mocking Fetterman's performance "as if they are immune from the randomness of illness and infirmity."
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2022
Pale and bruised, lean to the point of infirmity, he shambles toward the bed.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
When he studied the brochures of eight CCRCs across the country, the infirmities and dependencies of old age seemed buried.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
But these infirmities are not inevitable, and in recent years doctors have learned a lot more about how to prevent dementia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
There are so many infirmities in this reasoning that it’s hard to know where to start.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025
A standout in the seventh episode chronicles the tumbling cascade of infirmities that come with old age that start with aches that never go away.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024
But if I wanted a crack at the summit, I knew that I had no choice but to ignore my infirmities and climb.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
