French word

frêle

Pronunciation

IPA/fʁɛl/

Meaning

  • adjectivefrail

Example

Après la maladie, elle est devenue frêle.

After the illness, she became frail.

Illustration for frêle (frail)

More examples

Il parle d'une voix frêle.

He speaks in a faint voice.

Core concept

A delicate figure seeming unable to withstand much exertion.

Common phrases

  • voix frêle

    faint voice

  • silhouette frêle

    slight figure

Similar words

faible: Lacking strength and becoming tired after little effort.
fragile: Likely to break or suffer damage from force or impact.
affaibli: Having lost strength or resistance because of illness or treatment.
vulnérable: Open to harm from outside influences and hard to shield.

Definition in French

Qui manque de vigueur physique et paraît facilement affaibli après un effort ou une maladie.

Word origin

The Latin adjective fragilis passed into French as frêle through Old French, preserving the sense of physical fragility.

Usage tips

  • Frêle suggests a visibly delicate constitution, whereas faible more broadly means weak and is more common in everyday speech.

Other meanings

  • fragileadjective
  • delicateadjective
  • slenderadjective

Opposites

  • vigoureuxvigorousadjective
  • robustesturdyadjective

Word lists with this word