What does enfeebled mean?
"Enfeebled" describes something or someone that has been drained of strength, energy, or effectiveness. Most often applied to people, it evokes physical frailty brought on by age, illness, or prolonged hardship, as in an enfeebled patient who can no longer manage unaided. It extends naturally to abstractions: an economy, government, army, or argument can be enfeebled when its former power or force has been eroded. The word carries a formal, literary tone and frequently appears in historical and political writing, where it conveys decline from a once-strong state rather than simple weakness from birth. It derives from the verb "enfeeble" (to weaken), formed on "feeble," which itself traces back through Old French to a Latin root meaning lamentable or weak. Related forms include "enfeebling" and the noun "enfeeblement." Because it implies a fall from vigor rather than inherent fragility, "enfeebled" is especially apt when describing institutions or bodies worn down over time.
Weakened in physical strength or vitality, or reduced in force or effectiveness.
"An enfeebled old man sat by the window, watching the street he could no longer walk down."
Often followed by "by": enfeebled by age, illness, or war.
Past tense and past participle of enfeeble: made weak or deprived of strength.
"The long siege had enfeebled the city's defenders before the final assault."
Despite its Latin-looking prefix "en-", "enfeeble" actually entered English through medieval French, where it simply meant to make feeble — a word that has been quietly sapping other words' strength for over five centuries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enfeebled
"Enfeebled" comes from the verb "enfeeble," which English borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French "enfebler" (modern French "affaiblir"), formed from "en-" plus "feble," the source of English "feeble." "Feeble" itself derives from Old French "feble"/"foible," from Latin "flebilis," meaning lamentable or deplorable, from "flere," to weep. The adjective has been in use since at least the early modern period, and its relatives include the direct sibling "feeble" and French "faible."
Related word forms
How enfeebled is actually used
Formal to literary in register; rarely used in casual conversation. When applied to people it often carries a sympathetic connotation of frailty from age or illness; when applied to institutions or arguments it suggests a loss of former vigor. The verb form ("to enfeeble") is somewhat rarer than the adjective.
Easily confused with enfeebled
"Enabled" means given the power or ability to do something, while "enfeebled" means almost the opposite — drained of strength or effectiveness.