noun
-
the state or quality of being infirm
-
physical weakness or debility; frailty
-
a moral flaw or failing
Other Word Forms
- superinfirmity noun
Etymology
Origin of infirmity
1325–75; Middle English infirmite < Latin infirmitās. See infirm, -ity
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.
On the whole, Americans don’t do that, largely believing that age and infirmity only matter if they impede on a person’s ability to do their job.
From Salon • Nov. 19, 2025
To Thomas, these schemes would present no constitutional infirmity, and courts could do nothing to stop them.
From Slate • May 23, 2024
The family has learned, with guidance from ONEgeneration, how to understand and accommodate Saldana’s infirmity — how to resist pushing back when she’s combative or confused.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2023
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
Stroke victims who have lost the ability to speak, for example, are virtuosos, because their infirmity has forced them to become far more sensitive to the information written on people’s faces.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
