Weakness (1 Viewer)

[Psychopav]

So, about "weakness":

WEAKNESS

1. 
   infirmity (30 votes [28.57%]) Percentage of vote: 28.57%
   
2. decreptitude (27 votes [25.71%]) Percentage of vote: 25.71%
   
3. debility (48 votes [45.71%])

As you can see, I went with "infirmity". Why?

Well, decrepitude is some state of decay. Since decay and weakness may be mutually exclusive, or at worst a decaying thing may be a weak thing but not necessarily the other way around, they can't be synonyms.

I picked "infirmity" over "debility" because "debility" implies a complete lack of effectiveness, whereas "infirmity" implies a diminished, but not necessarily absent, effectiveness.

So "infirmity" must be the synonym.

Am I right or wrong?

 

[Fat Nick]

This...

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

The problem with infirmity is that it implies a sickness.

All three may be exactly wrong but infirmity and deblility could be equally close.

 

[mquinnjr]

Weakness is just pain leaving the body.

 

[Fat Nick]

It's debility.

SaintsInDome2006 is right...infirmity implies sickness, which doesn't necessarily mean weakness. You can be sick and still strong. Decrepitude is being old and in bad health...again, sickness. Only debility is specifically weak.

 

[Psychopav]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debility

According to this, it's weakness specifically caused by illness or old age.

But infirmity has a definition that is less tied down: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infirmity

Debility has the same definition. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debility

I think the Chin is right. These are all debatable.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Do you even lift?

 

[Psychopav]

Do you even lift?

What, like glasses of scotch? Absolutely, all the time!