fragilizada

Fragilizada is the feminine form of the past participle of fragilizar, a Portuguese verb meaning to make fragile or to weaken. As an adjective, fragilizada describes something or someone that has been made more fragile, vulnerable, or susceptible to damage, whether physically, structurally, emotionally, or socioeconomically. The masculine counterpart is fragilizado, and plural forms are fragilizadas and fragilizados.

Etymology and usage notes: fragilizar comes from the root fragil-, related to fragilis in Latin, with the productive Portuguese suffix -izar to form verbs meaning to cause to become. The noun fragilização exists to denote the process of becoming fragile or of being weakened, while fragilizada is used to characterize a specific state or condition resulting from that process.

Contexts of use: fragilizada appears across diverse domains, including economics, politics, social science, and everyday language. Examples include “a economia fragilizada pela crise,” “uma população fragilizada pela falta de serviços,” and “uma estrutura fragilizada pela má gestão.” It can refer to physical fragility, structural weakness, or heightened vulnerability in psychosocial contexts. The term sometimes conveys an evaluative nuance depending on tone and context, but is generally neutral when describing a resultant condition.

Related terms: fragilização (the process of becoming fragile), fragilidade (fragility), and fragilizar (to make fragile). These terms help distinguish between the action, the result, and the state of vulnerability.

See also: fragilização, fragilidade, fragilizar.