feeble
Americanadjective
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physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail.
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weak intellectually or morally.
a feeble mind.
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lacking in volume, loudness, brightness, distinctness, etc..
a feeble voice; feeble light.
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lacking in force, strength, or effectiveness.
feeble resistance; feeble arguments.
adjective
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lacking in physical or mental strength; frail; weak
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inadequate; unconvincing
feeble excuses
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easily influenced or indecisive
Related Words
See weak.
Other Word Forms
- feebleness noun
- feeblish adjective
- feebly adverb
- nonfeeble adjective
- nonfeebleness noun
- nonfeebly adverb
- unfeeble adjective
- unfeebleness noun
- unfeebly adverb
Etymology
Origin of feeble
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English feble, from Old French, variant of fleible (by dissimilation), from Latin flēbilis “lamentable,” equivalent to flēre “to weep” + -bilis -ble
Explanation
You know how you feel when you can’t open a jar of pickles? And then grandma walks in and does it in one shot without even grunting? That’s called feeling feeble, or lacking strength. In fact, feeble, comes from the Latin word flebilis, which means "lamentable" or "unsatisfactory." But don’t let it get to you. Your puny, inferior muscles are nothing compared to the guy who makes feeble attempts at humor. Lame-o jokes are way more lamentable than inadequate biceps.
Vocabulary lists containing feeble
List 3
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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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.
But the government—with a feeble military, weak economy and fear of stoking internal conflict like the 1975-90 civil war—lacks enforcement capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Most of his defenders found this argument to be feeble.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026
Was their feeble demise a window to their collective soul, a reflection of their spirit under the new, and surely doomed, manager?
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026
He appears mentally unstable and physically feeble, clinging to his lectern as if it were a walker.
From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025
A few feet above him, pale yellow sunlight shone through a grating; the feeble beam ended abruptly on a wall of rough, damp stone.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
