Standard Lemma guide

debility

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˈbɪlɪti/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪlɪti
  • CMU ARPABET: D AH0 B IH1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A state of physical or mental weakness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the state of being weak in health or body (especially from old age)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: infirmity, frailty, feebleness, frailness, valetudinarianism

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unfitness, softness

Narrower terms: asthenia, astheny, cachexia, cachexy, wasting

History

Etymology

From Middle English debylite, from Old French debilité (French débilité), from Latin dēbilitās (“weakness”), from dēbilis (“weak”), from dē- + habilis (“able”).

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безсилие (bezsilie) — state of weakness
  • Bulgarian: немощ (nemošt) — state of weakness
  • French: débilité — state of weakness
  • French: fatigue — state of weakness
  • Hindi: दुर्बलता (durbaltā) — state of weakness
  • Hindi: निर्बलता (nirbaltā) — state of weakness
  • Hindi: शिथिलता (śithiltā) — state of weakness
  • Irish: laige — state of weakness
  • Japanese: 衰弱 (suijaku) — state of weakness
  • Latin: infirmitas — state of weakness
  • Latin: debilitas — state of weakness
  • Persian: عجز ('ajz) — state of weakness
  • Persian: ناتوانی (nâtavâni) — state of weakness
  • Polish: osłabienie — state of weakness
  • Portuguese: debilidade — state of weakness
  • Russian: сла́бость (slábostʹ) — state of weakness
  • Russian: бесси́лие (bessílije) — state of weakness
  • Russian: не́мощь (némoščʹ) — state of weakness
  • Russian: деграда́ция (degradácija) — state of weakness
  • Spanish: debilidad — state of weakness
  • Ottoman Turkish: درمانسزلق (dermansızlık) — state of weakness
  • Ottoman Turkish: ضعیفلق (zaʼiflık) — state of weakness
  • Ukrainian: сла́бкість (slábkistʹ) — state of weakness
  • Ukrainian: сла́бість (slábistʹ) — state of weakness
  • Ukrainian: безси́лля (bezsýllja) — state of weakness