infirm
/ɪnˈfɜːm/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfɜːrm/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈfərm/ (ame, mw) · /ɪnˈfɝːm/ (ame, ipa)
infirm — adjective
- infirmpositive
- more infirmcomparative
- most infirmsuperlative
1. too sick or physically weak to live a normal active life, usually after a long i
too sick or physically weak to live a normal active life, usually after a long illness or simply from growing old
Padma's grandmother grew too infirm to climb the stairs to her own bedroom.
too infirm to + verb showing what the person can no longer do
The old soldier returned home infirm, leaning heavily on a wooden cane.
Nurses at the care home gently washed and fed the most infirm residents each morning.
Years of poor diet had left Eshe weak and infirm by the age of sixty.
The bishop was now so infirm that he could no longer stand to preach.
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person, often an older one; commonly paired with 'old', 'aged', 'frail', or 'elderly'. Stronger and more formal than 'ill' — it suggests lasting weakness, not a passing sickness.
常見錯誤
2. weak in mind or will, so that you cannot make firm decisions or stick to them
weak in mind or will, so that you cannot make firm decisions or stick to them
Layla called the new mayor infirm of purpose, unable to choose between two simple plans.
infirm of purpose for a weak, indecisive will
An infirm leader changes the rules every week, and soon nobody trusts a single promise.
Too infirm of will to refuse, Christopher signed away the family farm.
The committee seemed infirm, dropping each bold idea the moment one member complained.
- irresolute
formal word for unable to decide; very close in meaning
- weak-willed
plainer, everyday equivalent for daily speech
- vacillating
stresses swinging back and forth between choices
- resolute
firmly decided and not changing course
- determined
set on a goal and hard to turn aside
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes a weak character or will, not a weak body, and is often followed by 'of purpose' or 'of will'. Almost always literary or formal; everyday speech uses 'weak-willed' or 'indecisive'.
常見錯誤
infirm — noun
1. people who have been sick or physically weak for a long time and need others to
people who have been sick or physically weak for a long time and need others to look after them, spoken of together as a group
The new clinic was built mainly to serve the infirm of three nearby villages.
the infirm as a group needing care
During the flood, rescue boats reached the infirm and the elderly first.
the infirm paired with another 'the + adjective' group
Volunteers cooked hot meals for the infirm who could not leave their homes.
Charity laws once required every town to shelter its poor and infirm.
- the sick
broader; covers short illness too, not just lasting weakness
- the bedridden
narrower; those unable to leave their beds
- the able-bodied
people fit and strong enough to care for themselves
文法句型
the infirm + plural verb
用法筆記
Only used as 'the infirm', referring to such people as a class, and it takes a plural verb. You cannot say 'an infirm' or 'two infirms' for one or more individuals.