Debility
noun ·4 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A state of physical or mental weakness. countable, uncountable
"As I was in a state of extreme debility, I resolved to sail directly towards the town, as a place where I could most easily procure nourishment. […] I was ready to sink from fatigue and hunger, but being surrounded by a crowd, I thought it politic to rouse all my strength, that no physical debility might be construed into apprehension or conscious guilt."
- 2 the state of being weak in health or body (especially from old age) wordnet
Example
More examples"As I was in a state of extreme debility, I resolved to sail directly towards the town, as a place where I could most easily procure nourishment. […] I was ready to sink from fatigue and hunger, but being surrounded by a crowd, I thought it politic to rouse all my strength, that no physical debility might be construed into apprehension or conscious guilt."
Etymology
From Middle English debylite, from Old French debilité (French débilité), from Latin dēbilitās (“weakness”), from dēbilis (“weak”), from dē- + habilis (“able”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.