as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
our grandmother's debility is due in large part to her advanced age
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of debility
The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
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Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
According to this view, the outside world has been generous to Africa, providing substantial aid in recent decades, leaving no excuse for the continent’s debility.
—Howard W. French, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2015
President Biden’s troubles — lingering inflation, wars and rumors of wars, his debility — could have benefited any Republican.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
As with fibroids, hormonal treatments and surgical options can help, though scarring and changes in the nervous system’s threshold for perceiving pain (eventually creating the experience of pain even in the absence of a stimulus) can create long-term debilities.
—Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024
In Amy Schumer’s comedy special Emergency Contact, the comedian talks about developing hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting and might lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and debility.
—Brianna Holt, Vogue, 7 July 2023
Given their ages and debilities, these soldiers had been deemed unfit for active service.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
As the wealth of nations increases and exposure to toxins and infectious agents drops, aging will become the cause of most disease, debility, and death.
—George Church, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2012
The Covid-19 pandemic has driven widespread debility, whether a result of distress or the virus itself, compounded in either case by political abandonment and public health failures.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
According to this view, the outside world has been generous to Africa, providing substantial aid in recent decades, leaving no excuse for the continent’s debility.
—Howard W. French, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2015
President Biden’s troubles — lingering inflation, wars and rumors of wars, his debility — could have benefited any Republican.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
As with fibroids, hormonal treatments and surgical options can help, though scarring and changes in the nervous system’s threshold for perceiving pain (eventually creating the experience of pain even in the absence of a stimulus) can create long-term debilities.
—Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024
In Amy Schumer’s comedy special Emergency Contact, the comedian talks about developing hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting and might lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and debility.
—Brianna Holt, Vogue, 7 July 2023
Given their ages and debilities, these soldiers had been deemed unfit for active service.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
As the wealth of nations increases and exposure to toxins and infectious agents drops, aging will become the cause of most disease, debility, and death.
—George Church, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2012
The Covid-19 pandemic has driven widespread debility, whether a result of distress or the virus itself, compounded in either case by political abandonment and public health failures.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debility
Noun
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The biggest risks to the expansion are high inflation and global economic weakness, with a tie for third between the incoming administration’s fiscal policies and the size of the U.S. deficit.Steve Liesman, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024
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Fatigue Fatigue and weakness are common signs of abnormally high blood sodium levels, known as hypernatremia.James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, MD, Verywell Health, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The probe comes after a 114-page report, released earlier this year by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), found that exhaustion, burnout and an overall lack of sleep for controllers — particularly during evening shifts — has hindered safety and led to accidents.The Hill Staff, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024
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Negotiations are just another tool to improve one’s political position; the objective, as with military operations, remains the enemy’s subjugation, or at least its exhaustion.Niall Ferguson, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Symptoms of bird flu can include fever, fatigue, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, shortness of breath, stuffy or runny nose, eye redness, headaches and pneumonia requiring hospitalization, according to the CDC.Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
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Without treatment, weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and more serious complications can occur.Kristen Fischer, Health, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near debility
Cite this Entry
“Debility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debility. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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