feeble C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈfibəl/ UK /ˈfiːbəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj lacking physical strength or effectiveness; weak He gave only a feeble excuse for missing the meeting. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · lacking physical strength... weakfrailinfirmdecrepitfaintpunydelicateineffectual ↔ Opposites strongrobustvigorouspowerfulsturdy Word family Forms feebleness Derived forms feeblyfeebleness Related forms enfeeble Etymology AI details From Old French 'feble, fieble' ('weak'), from Latin 'flēbilis' ('lamentable, that is to be wept over'), from 'flēre' ('to weep'); the 'l' was lost by dissimilation. flēbilis Latin flēre Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # feeble **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈfibəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈfiːbəl/ ## Meanings 1. lacking physical strength or effectiveness; weak ## Examples - He gave only a feeble excuse for missing the meeting. ## Synonyms - weak - frail - infirm - decrepit - faint - puny - delicate - ineffectual ## Antonyms - strong - robust - vigorous - powerful - sturdy ## Derived Forms - feebly - feebleness ## Related Forms - enfeeble ## Roots and Affixes - Root: flēbilis - Root: flēre ## Etymology From Old French 'feble, fieble' ('weak'), from Latin 'flēbilis' ('lamentable, that is to be wept over'), from 'flēre' ('to weep'); the 'l' was lost by dissimilation. ## AI Etymology Feeble comes from Old French 'feble, fieble' ('weak'), from Latin 'flēbilis' ('lamentable, that is to be wept over'), from 'flēre' ('to weep'); the 'l' was lost by dissimilation. The etymological trail includes Latin flēbilis and Latin flēre. As an adjective, feeble describes what is lacking physical strength or effectiveness; weak. The same family is visible in derived forms such as feebly and feebleness and related forms such as enfeeble. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown