English Explanatory Dictionary

weak

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability.
  2. Unable to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain.
  3. Limp, soft.
  4. Unable to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable.
  5. Having a strong, irrepressible emotional love for someone or (less often) something; sentimentally affected by such love.
  6. Dilute, lacking in taste or potency.
  7. Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including:
  8. Regular in inflection, lacking vowel changes and having a past tense marked by /-d-/, /-t-/, or /-ð-/.
  9. Showing less distinct grammatical endings.
  10. Definite in meaning, often used with a definite article or similar word.
  11. Related to, containing, or being a consonant which is prone to disappearing in some inflections, in most applicable languages including (but not limited to) w and y.
  12. Related to, being, or containing the lenis consonant gradation, which resulted from historically closed syllables.

Pronunciation

/wi(ː)k/ [wɪik] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-weak.wav en-us-weak.ogg

Word forms

weak weaker weakest weake

Etymology

From Middle English weyk, wayk, weik, waik, from Old Norse veikr (“weak”), from Proto-Germanic *waikwaz (“weak, yielded, pliant, bendsome”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyk- (“to bend, wind”). Cognate with Old English wāc (“weak, bendsome”), Saterland Frisian wook (“soft, gentle, tender”), West Frisian weak (“soft”), Dutch week (“soft, weak”), German weich (“weak, soft”), Norwegian veik (“weak”), Swedish vek (“weak, pliant”), Icelandic veikur (“bendsome, weak”). Related to Old English wīcan (“to yield”). Doublet of week and wick.

Synonyms

anemic breakable broken-down damaged debilitated decrepit delicate dickless effete enervated enfeebled exhausted faint flimsy fragile harmed hurt impaired impotent infirm injured languid low prostrated prostrate puny raddled resistless sapped slightsoft softened susceptible tender tired torpid unresistant wasted weak weakened weary weedy wimpy worn out yielding feeble frail powerless vincible assailable vulnerable dilute watery

Antonyms

healthy powerful robust strong invincible potent able-bodied athletic beefy brawny capable competent durable firm fit fortified hale hardened hardy mighty muscular puissant rugged sinewy sound stalwart stout strapping strengthened sturdy toughened tough vigorous virile vitalized

Related words

weak spot

Derived words

bring it weak electroweak miliweak nonweak overweak piss-weak piss weak superweak the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must weak AI weak artificial intelligence weak as piss weak as water weak atheist weak-bladdered weak-chinned weak copyleft weak declension weaken weaker sex weaker vessel weakest link weak-eyed weakfish weak force weak-handed weak-headed weak-hearted weakino weak interaction weak in the knees weakish weak isospin weak-kneed weakling weak link weakly weak mayor weak-minded weakness weak nuclear weak nuclear force weak nuclear interaction weakon weak point weak pronoun weak reference weaksauce weak sauce weakside weak-side weak side weak-sighted weak sister weaksome weak sore weak spot weak tea weak typing
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