debility

[ dih-bil-i-tee ]

noun

, plural de·bil·i·ties.

1. a weakened or enfeebled state; weakness:

   Debility prevented him from getting out of bed.

2. a particular mental or physical disability.

debility

/ dɪˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. weakness or infirmity

Word History and Origins

Origin of debility¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English debylite, from Middle French debilite, from Latin dēbilitās, from dēbil ( is ) “weak” + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

“The debility, dependency and dread doesn’t disappear when they walk into a clean room in suits,” said Steven M. Kleinman, who served in the C.I.A. and then the Air Force from 1983 to 2015 and retired as a colonel with a specialty in human intelligence.

From New York Times

A correspondence that spans years might have its intermittent sputters, but it finally ends for a reason, and often — as with nearly all of the pairs mentioned here — that reason is someone’s death or debility.

From New York Times

At 40, Baudelaire was a shadow of his former self, crushed by unrepayable debts, suffering the aftereffects of a seemingly minor stroke, and facing the onset of syphilitic debility.

From Washington Post

Over and over, she finds language sufficient for her intense debility.

From New York Times

Rereading recently the Snopes and Studs Lonigan trilogies, I was struck by their insight into the emotional debility and ruthlessness of socially mobile men.

From New York Times