infirm
Other forms: infirmly; infirmer
To be infirm is to be physically weak. If your great grandmother can't get around without a walker or a wheelchair, you might describe her as infirm.
The adjective infirm is most often used to talk about elderly people whose bodies don't work as well as they used to — there's an implication of old age in the word. You could also describe an infirm person as decrepit or feeble. Sometimes a person's morals or character are described as infirm, which means you can't count on them to do the right thing. The Latin root, infirmus means "weak or feeble," or alternately, "superstitious or inconstant."
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lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
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lacking firmness of will or character or purpose“infirm of purpose”
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synonyms:
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irresolute
uncertain how to act or proceed
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irresolute
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Vocabulary lists containing infirm
All the words below have the prefix "in-" meaning "not," as their first element. The problem is that even though many of the words have negative senses in Modern English, their positive counterparts have fallen out of use, or existed only in Latin. These words may have been part of a pair, once upon a time, but their partners are no more. Through the illustrative sentences and the linguistic tidbits below, we have tried to make the history of these negative words with "in-" clearer and hopefully easier to remember.
Centered around Okonkwo, an Igbo leader who is banished from his community, this novel explores the tension between white missionaries and tribal culture in Nigeria.
Do you know the difference between frail, feeble, and frangible? Strengthen your vocabulary with this list of words. Learn them all, and you'll feel like a genius! For more synonym lists, explore our Say What You Mean resources.