1
as in fragile
easily broken
a frail eggshell
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sensitive
easily injured without careful handling
be careful with your grandmother, as she's very frail and a fall would be disastrous
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
he was frail after a long battle with bronchitis
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4
as in weakened
lacking strength of will or character
a frail person, easily swayed by others
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5
as in small
small in degree
a frail hope of success
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frail
The fate of one of the few remaining opposition figures who was still in the country depended on the frail relationship between the Cuban government and the United States.
—
Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
And when live mice were also equipped with the naked mole-rat cGAS, aging rodents were less frail, had less gray hair and had healthier organs for longer than animals in a control group.
—New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2025
The hospital helps fund a portion of beds at the John Parvensky Stout Street Recuperative Care Center to provide patients who are too ill or frail to recover in shelters or on the streets with a safe place and the right support to heal.
—Sarah Stella, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
Two years later, he is still believed to be alive after Hamas released a video in August of David, now 24, looking so frail and emaciated that his father did not recognize his voice.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frail
Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
And when live mice were also equipped with the naked mole-rat cGAS, aging rodents were less frail, had less gray hair and had healthier organs for longer than animals in a control group.
—New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2025
The hospital helps fund a portion of beds at the John Parvensky Stout Street Recuperative Care Center to provide patients who are too ill or frail to recover in shelters or on the streets with a safe place and the right support to heal.
—Sarah Stella, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
Two years later, he is still believed to be alive after Hamas released a video in August of David, now 24, looking so frail and emaciated that his father did not recognize his voice.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frail
Adjective
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As conversations continue around Gaza's reconstruction amid the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, doctors and humanitarian workers are urging that efforts be focused on addressing the malnutrition crisis, noting that simply flooding the zone with aid won't make a meaningful dent.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
24 Oct. 2025
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Vance says Gaza ceasefire holding despite flare-ups US Vice President JD Vance said on a visit to Israel the fragile ceasefire with Hamas was holding, despite accusations by each side that the other had violated the deal.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, people who are lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy may experience discomfort.—
Chelsea Rae Bourgeois,
Health,
29 Oct. 2025
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The key to detecting them, then, wasn’t to simply build a detector sensitive enough to see each individual neutrino; that would be a practically impossible task.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While the power opportunities are bright, the current earnings reports are much more dour as the oil sector slogs along with weakened activity.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
However, Bon Jovi found a surgeon who performed a medialization thyroplasty surgery, a cutting-edge procedure in which an implant was placed on the outside of his vocal cord to rebuild the weakened cord.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Add the ginger during the last minute of cooking, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Martin knocked on the hunter’s small tent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While those connotations may have long since lost their relevance, contemporary designers have been embracing lace more than ever recently, filling collections in New York Bridal Fashion Week with beautiful gowns crafted in the delicate, classic material.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
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She was elegantly dressed in a cream coat dress adorned with delicate embroidery, paired with matching heels and a coordinating clutch bag.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Oct. 2025
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The feeble light from the fire wasn’t much help.—
Bill Shaber,
Outdoor Life,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The large flowers have an iridescent lavender eye and stand atop evergreen foliage that adds soft blue-green hues to the garden year-round.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Oct. 2025
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The species is a red gorgonian soft coral found along the Pacific coast from Chile to California.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frail. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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