1
: easily led into evil
frail humanity
2
: easily broken or destroyed : fragile
… frail, open-cockpit biplanes …—
Jonathan Weiner
Jonathan Weiner3
a
: physically weak
a frail old woman
a frail voice
b
: slight, unsubstantial
smiled a minute frail smile—Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
frailness
noun
Examples of frail in a Sentence
In his old age his health became increasingly frail.
a small and frail ship
Recent Examples on the Web
There should be a sense of wounding loss in the disintegration — the self-destruction, even — of their small, frail family.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 May 2024
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in the young, frail or elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for frail 
Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 May 2024
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in the young, frail or elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for frail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frail
Cite this Entry
“Frail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frail. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
frail
adjective1
: easily led into evil
frail humanity
2
: fragile
3
: not having normal strength or force
spoke in a frail voice
frailness
noun
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