feeble

fee·ble

Use feeble in a sentence

A feeble newborn lamb.

adjective

The definition of feeble is someone who is weak or a half-hearted attempt or something that is faint or unconvincing.

An example of feeble is an old person who is sick and who can't get out of bed on her own.
An example of feeble is using the excuse that your car broke down when you are late even though the person who you are meeting knows your car is fine.
An example of feeble is trying for only one second to solve a problem before giving up.

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"feeble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feeble>.

APA Style

feeble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feeble

feeble

adjective

-·bler, -·blest

weak; not strong; specif.,

infirm: a feeble old man
without force or effectiveness: a feeble light, a feeble attempt
easily broken; frail: a feeble barrier

Origin of feeble

Middle English feble from Old French faible, feble from Classical Latin flebilis, to be wept over from flere, to weep from Indo-European base an unverified form bhl?-, to howl from source bleat, blare

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MLA Style

"feeble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feeble>.

APA Style

feeble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feeble

feeble

adjective

fee·bler, fee·blest

a. Lacking bodily strength; weak: too feeble to climb the hill.
b. Having little intensity or strength; faint: feeble light; a feeble voice.
Having little capacity to withstand pressure or strain: the castle's feeble defenses.
a. Lacking vigor or effectiveness; inadequate: a feeble attempt to apologize.
b. Showing little activity: a feeble housing market. See Synonyms at weak.

Origin of feeble

Middle English feble from Old French from Latin flēbilis lamentable from flēre to weep

Related Forms:

fee′ble·ness
noun

fee′bly
adverb

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"feeble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feeble>.

APA Style

feeble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feeble

Adjective

(comparative feebler, superlative feeblest)

Deficient in physical strength; weak; infirm; debilitated.
Though she appeared old and feeble, she could still throw a ball.
Lacking force, vigor, or efficiency in action or expression; faint.
That was a feeble excuse for an example.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present feebles, present participle feebling, simple past and past participle feebled)

(obsolete) To make feeble; to enfeeble.

Origin

From Middle English feble, from Anglo-Norman feble (“weak, feeble”), from Latin flēbilis (“tearful, mournful, lamentable”), from flēre (“to weep”), akin to fluere (“to flow”); see fluent.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.