Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective infirm contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of infirm are decrepit, feeble, fragile, frail, and weak. While all these words mean "not strong enough to endure strain, pressure, or strenuous effort," infirm suggests instability, unsoundness, and insecurity due to old age or crippling illness.

infirm residents requiring constant care

When would decrepit be a good substitute for infirm?

While the synonyms decrepit and infirm are close in meaning, decrepit implies being worn-out or broken-down from long use or old age.

the dowager's decrepit retainers

In what contexts can feeble take the place of infirm?

Although the words feeble and infirm have much in common, feeble suggests extreme weakness inviting pity or contempt.

a feeble attempt to walk

When could fragile be used to replace infirm?

The synonyms fragile and infirm are sometimes interchangeable, but fragile suggests frailty and brittleness unable to resist rough usage.

a reclusive poet too fragile for the rigors of this world

When is it sensible to use frail instead of infirm?

The words frail and infirm are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, frail implies delicacy and slightness of constitution or structure.

a frail teenager unable to enjoy sports

When can weak be used instead of infirm?

The meanings of weak and infirm largely overlap; however, weak applies to deficiency or inferiority in strength or power of any sort.

felt weak after the surgery

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of infirm The patients, many aged and infirm, have been besieging lawmakers with meetings, calls and emails, pressing them to pass the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform, or SOAR, Act by the end of the year. Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 16 Dec. 2024 However, unless the patient/resident is so infirm that he or she can’t be moved, nothing prevents a son, daughter or grandchild from taking their relative OUT for a nice brunch, lunch or dinner. Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2024 The investigation reveals a dismal picture of a company with a sales culture that depends on squeezing infirm and elderly patients and the government for every penny. Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 13 Nov. 2024 The team’s droll, imperturbable manager, Dave Roberts, spent much of his summer issuing medical briefings on infirm pitchers. Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for infirm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infirm
Adjective
  • Murena Pixel Tablet And Third-Party Apps The ecosystem for Android tablets is weaker than that of Android smartphones.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Cleanup crews noted the tree’s root system was very weak.
    Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • His rapping has a frail, slithering quality; his vocal tone morphs between cute squeakiness and ragged rottweiler growls.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • In our grandparents’ day, families weren’t dispersed across the country, and family members often took care of their frail relatives.
    Steve Vernon, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Francis' feeble voice, discernible through his labored breaths and in his native Spanish, was recorded Thursday from the hospital and broadcast to the faithful in St. Peter's Square who had gathered for the nightly recitation of the rosary prayer.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2025
  • When experienced all at once, these features can further shake an emerging adult’s already feeble sense of stability.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Several groups, including those advocating for military veterans, the elderly and disabled people, have intervened in that case and requested that a larger panel of judges from the 5th Circuit reconsider the decision.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters and four disabled voters brought the lawsuit a year ago.
    Scott Bauer, Twin Cities, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Infirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infirm. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on infirm

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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