debilitate (/db l.

tet/ The patient had been so debilitated by the fever that he lacked the strength to sit up.)

Impair the strength of; enfeeble ( /n fi.bl); weaken ( feeble = physically weak, especially because you are old or sick)

decadent (/'dek..dnt/ When industry moves away, a flourishing town may quickly become decadent.)

Marked by decay or decline; falling off; declining; deteriorating.

Broken down or weakened by old age or use; worn out (= too old or damaged to use anymore) Falling to pieces; decayed; partly ruined or decayed through neglect ( decay = gradually worse, destroy) Lessen the vigor or strength of; weaken; enfeeble. ( vigor /vr/ : mental energy, enthusiasm, and determination)

decrepit (/di'krep.it/ Billy Dawes rode past the redcoats on a horse that looked decrepit and about to collapse.)
dilapidated (/di'lp.i.deit.id/ Up the road was an abandoned farmhouse, partially in ruins, and near it a barn, even more dilapidated.)

enervate (/'en.:veit/ Enervate by the heat; we rested under a shady tree until our strength was restored.)
frail ( ant: robust /rou'bst/) (/freil/ To be an astronaut, you must be in robust health. It is not an occupation for a frail person.)

Not very strong; weak; fragile

flimsy (/'flim.zi/ Judy understands algebra well, but I have only a flimsy grasp of the subject) (Note: algebra / ldbr/ = i s ; grasp /rsp/ = understand)

Lacking strength or solidity; frail; unsubstantial Weakness; feebleness; frailty

Wall-like defensive structure; rampart (/ rmprt/); defense; protection; safeguard ( rampart = thnh ly)

infirmity (nf rm..ti/ On leaving the hospital, the patient felt almost too weak to walk, but he soon overcame this infirmity.) bulward (/ bl.wrk/ For centuries the British regarded their navy as their principal bulwark against invasion.) ( invasion = xm lc) citadel (/'sit..dl/ The fortified city of Singapore was once considered unconquerable. In 1942, however, this citadel fell to the Japanese)

Fortress (/frtrs/); stronghold (Pho i, thnh ly)

cogent (/'koud.nt/ Excuses for not handing work in on time vary. Some are flimsy, as, for example, "I left it at home." Others are more cogent, such as a physician's note.)

Forcible (/frsbl/); compelling; powerful; convincing

Exciting fear by reason of strength, size, difficulty, etc.; hard to overcome; to be dreaded ( d di, kinh khng)

formidable (/fr md..bl/ Our hopes for an easy victory sank when our opponents took the field. They were much taller and huskier, and they looked formidable.)

forte (/'f:ti/ I am better than Jack in English and social studies but not in math; that is his forte.)
impregnable (/im'preg.n.bl/ Before World War II, the French regarded their Maginot Line as an impregnable bulwark against a German invasion.)

Strong point; that which one does with excellence; strength.

Incapable of being taken by assault; unconquerable; invincible; indomitable

invigorate (/in'vig..reit/ If you feel enervated by the heat, try a swim in the cool ocean. It will invigorate you.)

Give vigor to; fill with life and energy; animate; strengthen ( animate = to make someone or something more lively, active, or interested)