feeble

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++fee·ble /ˈfiːbəl/ adjective 1 WEAKextremely weak 非常虚弱的，无力的 OPP strong His voice sounded feeble and far away. 他的声音听上去既无力又遥远。 She was too feeble to leave her room. 她身体虚弱，无法走出自己的房间。► see thesaurus at weak2 EFFECTIVEnot very good or effective 蹩脚的；无效的，站不住脚的 SYN weak a feeble excuse 牵强的借口 a rather feeble committee 一个相当软弱的委员会

Examples from the Corpus

feeble• Sales have gone up only by a feeble 0.1 percent.• He did not remember his sister at all, except as a tiny, feeble baby.• Reproaches, accusations, sadness - perhaps even feeble blows from feeble fists.• Such a feeble case should not have gone to court.• Compare the impact of the following feeble denouement with that of Oedipus who really was incestuous!• a feeble elderly woman in a wheelchair• My grandmother's very feeble now and needs someone at home full-time to look after her.• Nature sustains our feeble reason, and prevents it raving to this extent.• The smallest, feeblest stars, called M5 red dwarfs, have about 5 percent of the mass of our Sun.• His health was so feeble that he went to Florida and lived for six more years.• a feeble voiceOrigin feeble (1100-1200) Old French feble, from Latin flebilis “causing tears, weak”

fee·ble adjectiveChineseSyllable

Corpus extremely weak

feeble
fee‧ble /ˈfiːbəl/

adjective

Date: 1100-1200
Language: Old French
Origin: feble, from Latin flebilis 'causing tears, weak'

1. extremely weak
OPP strong:

His voice sounded feeble and far away.

She was too feeble to leave her room.
2. not very good or effective
SYN weak:

a feeble excuse

a rather feeble committee

THESAURUS

■ not physically strong
   ▪ weak not physically strong, sometimes because you are ill: Tom’s had flu and he’s still feeling weak. | The doctors said she was too weak to have an operation. | He suffered constantly from a weak chest.
   ▪ frail weak and thin, especially because you are old: a frail 85-year-old lady | My grandfather’s becoming quite frail now.
   ▪ shaky feeling weak in your legs and only able to walk slowly and unsteadily: When I came out of hospital I was a bit shaky for a while.
   ▪ puny /ˈpjuːni/ especially disapproving small, thin, and looking very weak: his puny white arms | He was a puny little boy who was often bullied at school.
   ▪ feeble especially written weak and unable to do much because you are very ill, very old or young: For a week she was too feeble to get out of bed. | a tiny, feeble baby
   ▪ delicate weak and often becoming ill easily: a delicate child | She had rather a delicate constitution (=her body easily became ill).
   ▪ infirm formal weak or ill for a long time, especially because you are old: a residential home for people who are elderly and infirm | There are special facilities for wheelchair users and infirm guests.
   ▪ malnourished formal weak or ill because you have not had enough good food to eat: Half a million people there are severely malnourished. | The organization provides emergency feeding for malnourished children.

fee·ble

BrE

/ˈfiːbl/

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NAmE

/ˈfiːbl/

🔊

adjective

(

fee·bler

BrE

/ˈfiːblə(r)/