débil

Débil is a Spanish adjective meaning weak, frail, or lacking strength or effectiveness. It can describe physical weakness, poor health, or weak performance, as in un hombre débil, una economía débil, or un argumento débil. It may also characterize non-physical senses, such as una voluntad débil or una defensa débil, where the concept is moral, mental, or structural rather than strictly physical.

The term comes from Latin debilis, meaning weak or infirm, via Old Spanish; it shares roots with related words in many Romance languages. In modern Spanish, débil does not change for gender; it has a single form in the singular (débil) and a plural form débiles (los débiles, las débiles), which follows regular pluralization of adjectives ending in -l.

Related words include debilitar (to weaken), debilidad (debility/weakness), and débilmente (weakly). The word can appear in idiomatic phrases such as ponerse débil (to become weak) or sentirse débil (to feel weak).

Usage notes: While broadly neutral, débil can carry pejorative overtones when applied to people or groups (for example, calling a policy 'débil'), and some contexts favor stronger terms like “insuficiente” or “poco convincente.” In formal writing, the accent on é is preserved in both singular and plural forms, and the plural débiles is used for both masculine and feminine groups.

See also: fuerte, fortaleza, debilidad, debilitar.