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
In Will There Ever Be Another You, the main character struggles with an illness similar to long COVID, descending into a state of debility and psychosis as readers experience the chaos of her unraveling life.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
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
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
Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
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
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
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If your goal is to get at the truth, or at least our closest approximation of it at the present time, the way to do that is to be scrupulous and forthright about the strengths and weaknesses of every link in your chain of argument.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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This can raise resting heart rate, increase weakness and fatigue, and reduce endurance—even during everyday activities, not just exercise.—
Katharine Gammon,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There’s a collective exhaustion with aggression, dominance being dressed up as confidence and leadership styles that demand sacrifice without offering sustainability.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
-
But six days into 2025, Peter Seidler’s widow contested control of the team in a lawsuit brought against her brothers-in-law, and manager Mike Shildt retired 11 days after the season ended, citing exhaustion, while many on his staff and in the front office had been exhausted by him.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Side effects can include fever, fatigue, intestinal symptoms, skin rashes or neurological symptoms.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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This included no meaningful excess of memory loss or dementia, depression, sleep disturbance, erectile dysfunction, weight gain, nausea, fatigue or headache.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
When hair endures damage from styling treatments, color, or heat, the hair’s keratin composition can be compromised, leading to feebleness and a greater risk of breakage.—
Sophie Wirt,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debility. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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