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
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Recent Examples of debility
The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
—
Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
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
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
Has our battle with COVID-19 come to such a standstill that a slow burn of disruption, debility, and death will continue for years to come?
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2022
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.
—Washington Post, 11 May 2022
Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
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
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
Has our battle with COVID-19 come to such a standstill that a slow burn of disruption, debility, and death will continue for years to come?
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2022
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.
—Washington Post, 11 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debility
Noun
-
While the dollar strengthened for the second day on Wednesday, Jefferies thinks the greenback could be in for an extended period of weakness.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
28 May 2025
-
One weakness in Capture One's utility as a workflow solution has been its lack of sharing to established online photo venues, but there's a ray of light on this count.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2025
Noun
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When exhaustion threatened to derail my progress, focusing on just reaching the next marker renewed my determination.—
Natalie Nixon,
Flow Space,
21 May 2025
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And his aesthetic keeps pace with Brendan Mills’ excellent editing, in changing mood from the jittery, quick-cut, handheld first half to a steadier, more contemplative last act as Lu’s treks across the boroughs become longer and slower and exhaustion begins to set in.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Dejan Kulusevski Age: 25 Contract expires: 2028 The Sweden international was exceptional up until January when fatigue and a foot injury took their toll.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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For example, a recent study found two handfuls of almonds a day eased fatigue and muscle damage after a tough session.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debility. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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