frail

frail
fragile, frail
1. Fragile is pronounced fraj-iyl in BrE and fraj-ǝl in AmE.
2. Fragile is normally used of things being easily broken, whereas frail is normally used of people being infirm or in poor physical condition:

• The lectern at the Guildhall is a classic example of one that looks beautiful but is too small and fragile to use —H. Thomas & L. Gill, 1989

• After Charlotte's death in 1943, the villagers all noticed how extraordinarily frail and sunken Shaw looked —National Trust Magazine, 1990.

There is an overlap in meaning created by the figurative use of both words in the sense ‘weak, easily overturned’:

• OPEC last week managed to preserve its fragile unity —Observer, 1985

• The drinking, drug-taking and the high-pitched battles soon toppled the frail structure of their romance —J. Rose, 1990

• The fragile peace that has held in the holy city since June was shattered by deadly fighting that began late on Wednesday —Guardian, 2004.

In general, fragile tends to be used more often than frail in this meaning, whereas frail alone has the meaning ‘morally weak, easily yielding to temptation’.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • frail — [freıl] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: fraile, from Latin fragilis, from frangere to break ] 1.) someone who is frail is weak and thin because they are old or ill ▪ frail elderly people ▪ her frail health frail body/physique… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • frail — frail, a. [Compar. {frailer} (fr[=a]l [ e]r); superl. {frailest}.] [OE. frele, freile, OF. fraile, frele, F. fr[^e]le, fr. L. fragilis. See {Fragile}.] 1. Easily broken; fragile; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish; easily destroyed;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • frail — [ freıl ] adjective * 1. ) physically weak and not very healthy: He is frail, but still manages to walk with a cane. 2. ) not strong and therefore likely to be damaged or destroyed: a garden with a frail wooden fence around it attempts to rebuild …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • frail — frail·ly; frail·ness; frail·ty; frail; …   English syllables

  • frail — (fr[=a]l), n. [OE. fraiel, fraile, OF. fraiel, freel, frael, fr. LL. fraellum.] A basket made of rushes, used chiefly for containing figs and raisins. [1913 Webster] 2. The quantity of raisins about thirty two, fifty six, or seventy five pounds,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • frail — (adj.) mid 14c., morally weak, from O.Fr. fraile weak, frail, sickly, infirm (Mod.Fr. frêle), from L. fragilis easily broken (see FRAGILITY (Cf. fragility)). Sense of liable to break is first recorded in English late 14c. The U.S. slang noun… …   Etymology dictionary

  • frail|ty — «FRAYL tee», noun, plural ties. 1. the condition of being frail; weakness: »a sick person s physical frailty. The works of man inherit…their author s frailty and return to dust (William Cowper). 2. moral weakness; liability to yield to temptation …   Useful english dictionary

  • frail — index imperfect, insecure, insubstantial, nonsubstantial (not sturdy), powerless Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • frail — fragile, *weak, feeble, infirm, decrepit Analogous words: slight, slender, tenuous, *thin, slim: puny, *petty: flimsy, sleazy (see LIMP): *powerless, impotent Antonyms: robust Contrasted words: * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • frail — [adj] breakable, weak brittle, dainty, decrepit, delicate, feeble, fishy, flimsy, fracturable, fragile, frangible, infirm, insubstantial, puny, sad, shatterable, shattery, sickly, slender, slight, slim, tender, tenuous, thin, unsound,… …   New thesaurus

  • frail — ► ADJECTIVE 1) weak and delicate. 2) easily damaged or broken. DERIVATIVES frailly adverb frailness noun. ORIGIN Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis fragile …   English terms dictionary

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