Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Weak in body, especially from old age or disease; feeble. See Synonyms at weak.
- adj. Lacking firmness of will, character, or purpose; irresolute.
- adj. Not strong or stable; shaky: an infirm support.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Not firm, stable, or strong; lacking stability or solidity; faltering; feeble: as, an infirm support; an infirm judgment.
- Specifically Not sound in health; impaired in health or vitality; enfeebled; weak: as, infirm in body or constitution.
- Voidable; obnoxious to legal objection that may destroy apparent efficacy. Synonyms Vacillating, wavering, shaky.
- To weaken; enfeeble.
- To make less firm or certain; render doubtful, questionable, or dubious.
Wiktionary
- adj. Weak or ill, not in good health.
- adj. insecure; irresolute
- adj. frail; unstable
- v. To contradict, to provide proof that something is not.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Not firm or sound; weak; feeble.
- adj. Weak of mind or will; irresolute; vacillating.
- adj. Not solid or stable; insecure; precarious.
- v. obsolete To weaken; to enfeeble.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
- adj. lacking firmness of will or character or purpose
Etymologies
- Middle English infirme, from Old French, from Latin īnfirmus : in-, not; see in-1 + firmus, strong, firm; see dher- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Now I read that being old and infirm is no bar to voting Obama, not even having advanced Alzheimers is a bar.”
“Remote monitoring service will benefit the long-term infirm”
“And Gates is frail and infirm, which is another justification for saying “elderly.””
“I also want to identify with those who will be most adversely affected by the closures, namely the infirm and the elderly.”
“They found many amusing things, but the care of the sick and the infirm was the first duty, and they had many willing helpers.”
“But there's a big difference between "elderly" and "infirm" - as the 70-year-old woman on the spin bike next to mine would quickly point out.”
“While the real flu is very likely to claim the lives of the young, weak, and infirm, which is a tragedy, the Swine Flu is much more likely to make them ill for three-to-four days, after which they will recover.”
“Other franchises advised to mind their Ps and Qs due to the infirm are the Chicago Bulls”
“• Dick Weems, eleven and "infirm," was valued at only $25.”
“The age of Richard, who was considered "infirm" and therefore worthless, was not deemed significant enough to list.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘infirm’.
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2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
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EN - high brow
abrogate, abstemious, abstract of law, alderman, apocryphal, apostasy, apoplexy, apotheosis, apposite, aver, decorous, apprehensive and 51 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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Tolland's list
Those I've come across and try to keep fresh within my mind.
clandestine, dysphoric, indictive, vigil, fractious, assiduous, indefatigable, ubiquitous, insidious, paroicous, aplomb, sangfroid and 654 more...
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circumscribe
silty, lettuce, ingratiate, circumscribe, defection, fastidious, indolently, mitigate, inwardness, twined, deference, mottled and 100 more...
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practice 1
daily practice
enamor, blatant, cornucopia, conspicuously, ensconce, obdurate, plausible, reprieve, gaudy, tawdry, obfuscate, bewilder and 105 more...
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Words of the Day
glabella, chirotony, nook-shotten, crapehanger, filemot, swirlie, egosurf, lexiphanicism, Ruritanian, stichometry, chrononaut, faldstool and 2050 more...
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JWL's Words
fray, beige, infirm, gloat, razz, feist, gallow, stronghold, strut, spurt, impound, masculine and 47 more...
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a32b's Words
surfeit, impute, bicameral, inchoate, curio, infirm, aegis, antipodes, aspersion, decouple, fallow, ambisinistrous and 29 more...
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