Adjacent Words

Weak definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WEAK, a. [G. The primary sense of the root is to yield, fail, give way, recede, or to be soft.]
1. Having little physical strength; feeble. Children are born weak; men are rendered weak by disease.
2. Infirm; not healthy; as a weak constitution.
3. Not able to bear a great weight; as a weak bridge; weak timber.
4. Not strong; not compact; easily broken; as a weak ship; a weak rope.
5. Not able to resist a violent attack; as a weak fortress.
6. Soft; pliant; not stiff.
7. Low; small; feeble; as a weak voice.
8. Feeble of mind; wanting spirit; wanting vigor of understanding; as a weak prince; a weak magistrate.
To think every thing disputable, si a proof of a weak mind and captious temper.
9. Not much impregnated with ingredients, or with things that excite action, or with stimulating and nourishing substances; as weak broth; weak tea; weak toddy; a weak solution; a weak decoction.
10. Not politically powerful; as a weak nation or state.
11. Not having force of authority or energy; as a weak government.
12. Not having moral force or power to convince; not well supported by truth or reason; as a weak argument.
13. Not well supported by argument; as weak reasoning.
14. Unfortified; accessible; impressible; as the weak side of a person.
15. Not having full conviction or confidence; as weak in faith.
16. Weak land is land of a light thin soil. [I believe never used in New England.]
WEAK, v.t. To make weak. [Not used.]
WEAK, v.i. To become weak. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: wanting in physical strength; "a weak pillar" [ant: strong]
2: overly diluted; thin and insipid; "washy coffee"; "watery milk"; "weak tea" [syn: watery, washy, weak]
3: (used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress; "a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable"; "a weak stress on the second syllable" [syn: unaccented, light, weak]
4: wanting in moral strength, courage, or will; having the attributes of man as opposed to e.g. divine beings; "I'm only a fallible human"; "frail humanity" [syn: fallible, frail, imperfect, weak]
5: tending downward in price; "a weak market for oil stocks"
6: deficient or lacking in some skill; "he's weak in spelling"
7: lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality; "a feeble old woman"; "her body looked sapless" [syn: decrepit, debile, feeble, infirm, rickety, sapless, weak, weakly]
8: (used of verbs) having standard (or regular) inflection
9: not having authority, political strength, or governing power; "a weak president"
10: deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc; "a faint outline"; "the wan sun cast faint shadows"; "the faint light of a distant candle"; "weak colors"; "a faint hissing sound"; "a faint aroma"; "a weak pulse" [syn: faint, weak]
11: likely to fail under stress or pressure; "the weak link in the chain"
12: deficient in intelligence or mental power; "a weak mind"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English weike, from Old Norse veikr; akin to Old English w?can to yield, Greek eikein to give way, Sanskrit vijate he speeds, flees Date: 14th century 1. lacking strength: as a. deficient in physical vigor ; feeble, debilitated b. not able to sustain or exert much weight, pressure, or strain c. not able to resist external force or withstand attack d. easily upset or nauseated <a weak stomach> 2. a. mentally or intellectually deficient b. not firmly decided ; vacillating c. resulting from or indicating lack of judgment or discernment d. not able to withstand temptation or persuasion <the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak> 3. not factually grounded or logically presented <a weak argument> 4. a. not able to function properly <weak eyes> b. (1) lacking skill or proficiency <tutoring for weaker students> (2) indicative of a lack of skill or aptitude <history was my weakest subject> c. wanting in vigor of expression or effect <a weak translation of the poem> 5. a. deficient in the usual or required ingredients ; dilute <weak coffee> b. lacking normal intensity or potency <a weak radio signal> <a weak strain of virus> 6. a. not having or exerting authority or political power <weak government> b. ineffective, impotent 7. of, relating to, or constituting a verb or verb conjugation that in English forms the past tense and past participle by adding the suffix -ed or -d or -t 8. a. bearing the minimal degree of stress occurring in the language <a weak syllable> b. having little or no stress and obscured vowel sound <'d in he'd is the weak form of would> 9. tending toward a lower price or value <a weak market> <a weak dollar> 10. ionizing only slightly in solution <weak acids and bases> • weakly adverb Synonyms: weak, feeble, frail, fragile, infirm, decrepit mean not strong enough to endure strain, pressure, or strenuous effort. weak applies to deficiency or inferiority in strength or power of any sort <felt weak after the surgery>. feeble suggests extreme weakness inviting pity or contempt <a feeble attempt to walk>. frail implies delicacy and slightness of constitution or structure <a frail teenager unable to enjoy sports>. fragile suggests frailty and brittleness unable to resist rough usage <a reclusive poet too fragile for the rigors of this world>. infirm suggests instability, unsoundness, and insecurity due to old age or crippling illness <infirm residents requiring constant care>. decrepit implies being worn-out or broken-down from long use or old age <the dowager's decrepit retainers>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 deficient in strength, power, or number; fragile; easily broken or bent or defeated. 2 deficient in vigour; sickly, feeble (weak health; a weak imagination). 3 a deficient in resolution; easily led (a weak character). b (of an action or features) indicating a lack of resolution (a weak surrender; a weak chin). 4 unconvincing or logically deficient (weak evidence; a weak argument). 5 (of a mixed liquid or solution) watery, thin, dilute (weak tea). 6 (of a style etc.) not vigorous or well-knit; diffuse, slipshod. 7 (of a crew) short-handed. 8 (of a syllable etc.) unstressed. 9 Gram. in Germanic languages: a (of a verb) forming inflections by the addition of a suffix to the stem. b (of a noun or adjective) belonging to a declension in which the stem originally ended in -n (opp. STRONG adj. 22). Phrases and idioms: weak ending an unstressed syllable in a normally stressed place at the end of a verse-line. the weaker sex derog. women. weak grade Gram. an unstressed ablaut-form. weak interaction Physics the weakest form of interaction between elementary particles. weak-kneed colloq. lacking resolution. weak-minded 1 mentally deficient. 2 lacking in resolution. weak-mindedness the state of being weak-minded. weak moment a time when one is unusually compliant or temptable. weak point (or spot) 1 a place where defences are assailable. 2 a flaw in an argument or character or in resistance to temptation. Derivatives: weakish adj. Etymology: ME f. ON veikr f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weak Weak (w[=e]k), a. [Compar. Weaker (-[~e]r); superl. Weakest.] [OE. weik, Icel. veikr; akin to Sw. vek, Dan. veg soft, flexible, pliant, AS. w[=a]c weak, soft, pliant, D. week, G. weich, OHG. weih; all from the verb seen in Icel. v[=i]kja to turn, veer, recede, AS. w[=i]can to yield, give way, G. weichen, OHG. w[=i]hhan, akin to Skr. vij, and probably to E. week, L. vicis a change, turn, Gr. e'i`kein to yield, give way. [root]132. Cf. Week, Wink, v. i. Vicissitude.] 1. Wanting physical strength. Specifically: (a) Deficient in strength of body; feeble; infirm; sickly; debilitated; enfeebled; exhausted. A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man. --Shak. Weak with hunger, mad with love. --Dryden. (b) Not able to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain; as, a weak timber; a weak rope. (c) Not firmly united or adhesive; easily broken or separated into pieces; not compact; as, a weak ship. (d) Not stiff; pliant; frail; soft; as, the weak stalk of a plant. (e) Not able to resist external force or onset; easily subdued or overcome; as, a weak barrier; as, a weak fortress. (f) Lacking force of utterance or sound; not sonorous; low; small; feeble; faint. A voice not soft, weak, piping, and womanish. --Ascham. (g) Not thoroughly or abundantly impregnated with the usual or required ingredients, or with stimulating and nourishing substances; of less than the usual strength; as, weak tea, broth, or liquor; a weak decoction or solution; a weak dose of medicine. (h) Lacking ability for an appropriate function or office; as, weak eyes; a weak stomach; a weak magistrate; a weak regiment, or army. 2. Not possessing or manifesting intellectual, logical, moral, or political strength, vigor, etc. Specifically: (a) Feeble of mind; wanting discernment; lacking vigor; spiritless; as, a weak king or magistrate. To think every thing disputable is a proof of a weak mind and captious temper. --Beattie. Origen was never weak enough to imagine that there were two Gods. --Waterland. (b) Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish. If evil thence ensue, She first his weak indulgence will accuse. --Milton. (c) Not having full confidence or conviction; not decided or confirmed; vacillating; wavering. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. --Rom. xiv. 1. (d) Not able to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable; as, weak resolutions; weak virtue. Guard thy heart On this weak side, where most our nature fails. --Addison. (e) Wanting in power to influence or bind; as, weak ties; a weak sense of honor of duty. (f) Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained; as, a weak argument or case. ``Convinced of his weak arguing.'' --Milton. A case so weak . . . hath much persisted in. --Hooker. (g) Wanting in point or vigor of expression; as, a weak sentence; a weak style. (h) Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble. ``Weak prayers.'' --Shak. (i) Lacking in elements of political strength; not wielding or having authority or energy; deficient in the resources that are essential to a ruler or nation; as, a weak monarch; a weak government or state. I must make fair weather yet awhile, Till Henry be more weak, and I more strong. --Shak. (k) (Stock Exchange) Tending towards lower prices; as, a weak market. 3. (Gram.) (a) Pertaining to, or designating, a verb which forms its preterit (imperfect) and past participle by adding to the present the suffix -ed, -d, or the variant form -t; as in the verbs abash, abashed; abate, abated; deny, denied; feel, felt. See Strong, 19 (a) . (b) Pertaining to, or designating, a noun in Anglo-Saxon, etc., the stem of which ends in -n. See Strong, 19 (b) . Note: Weak is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, weak-eyed, weak-handed, weak-hearted, weak-minded, weak-spirited, and the like.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weak Weak, v. t. & i. [Cf. AS. w?can. w[=a]cian. See Weak, a.] To make or become weak; to weaken. [R.] Never to seek weaking variety. --Marston.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weak Weak, a. 1. (Stock Exchange) Tending toward a lower price or lower prices; as, wheat is weak; a weak market. 2. (Card Playing) Lacking in good cards; deficient as to number or strength; as, a hand weak in trumps. 3. (Photog.) Lacking contrast; as, a weak negative.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(weaker, weakest) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If someone is weak, they are not healthy or do not have good muscles, so that they cannot move quickly or carry heavy things. I was too weak to move or think or speak... His arms and legs were weak. ? strong ADJ • weakly 'I'm all right,' Max said weakly, but his breathing came in jagged gasps... ADV: ADV with v • weakness Symptoms of anaemia include weakness, fatigue and iron deficiency. 2. If someone has an organ or sense that is weak, it is not very effective or powerful, or is likely to fail. Until the beating, Cantanco's eyesight had been weak, but adequate... She tired easily and had a weak heart. ADJ 3. If you describe someone as weak, you mean that they are not very confident or determined, so that they are often frightened or worried, or easily influenced by other people. You have been conditioned to believe that it is weak to be scared. ? strong ADJ • weakness Many people felt that admitting to stress was a sign of weakness. 4. If you describe someone's voice or smile as weak, you mean that it not very loud or big, suggesting that the person lacks confidence, enthusiasm, or physical strength. His weak voice was almost inaudible... = feeble ADJ • weakly He smiled weakly at reporters. ADV: ADV after v 5. If an object or surface is weak, it breaks easily and cannot support a lot of weight or resist a lot of strain. The owner said the bird may have escaped through a weak spot in the aviary... Swimming is helpful for bones that are porous and weak. ? strong ADJ 6. A weak physical force does not have much power or intensity. The molecules in regular liquids are held together by relatively weak bonds... ? strong ADV • weakly The mineral is weakly magnetic... ADV: ADV adj/-ed, ADV after v 7. If individuals or groups are weak, they do not have any power or influence. The council was too weak to do anything about it. = powerless ADJ • The weak are people who are weak. He voiced his solidarity with the weak and defenceless. N-PLURAL: the N • weakness It made me feel patronised, in a position of weakness. = impotence 8. A weak government or leader does not have much control, and is not prepared or able to act firmly or severely. The changes come after mounting criticism that the government is weak and indecisive... The chief editorial writer also blames weak leadership for the current crisis. ? strong ADJ • weakly ...the weakly-led movement for reform. ADV • weakness Officials fear that he might interpret the emphasis on diplomacy as a sign of weakness. N-UNCOUNT 9. If you describe something such a country's currency, economy, industry, or government as weak, you mean that it is not successful, and may be likely to fail or collapse. The weak dollar means American goods are relative bargains for foreigners... ? strong ADJ • weakness The weakness of his regime is showing more and more... N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss 10. If something such as an argument or case is weak, it is not convincing or there is little evidence to support it. Do you think the prosecution made any particular errors, or did they just have a weak case?... ? strong ADJ • weakly The doctor weakly puts the case that the mother-to-be has many relatives, so needs less support from the hospital. ADV: ADV before v • weakness (weaknesses) ...the strengths and weaknesses of the government's case... N-VAR 11. A weak drink, chemical, or drug contains very little of a particular substance, for example because a lot of water has been added to it. ...a cup of weak tea... ...a very weak bleach solution. ? strong ADJ 12. Your weak points are the qualities or talents you do not possess, or the things you are not very good at. Geography was my weak subject... His short stories tend to be weak on plot. ? strong ADJ: oft ADJ on n • weakness His only weakness is his temperament... N-VAR 13. see also weakness

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Feeble, languid, weekly. 2. Sickly, debilitated, unhealthy, unsound, infirm, tender, valetudinary, valetudinarian, invalid, frail, delicate, fragile. 3. Defenceless, unguarded, exposed, unprotected. 4. Soft, pliant. 5. Pliable, pusillanimous, easily influenced, without any backbone, irresolute. 6. Shallow, simple, silly, senseless, witless, stupid, foolish, childish, imbecile. 7. Unwise, injudicious. 8. Indiscreet, erring, peccable, foolish, imprudent. 9. Feeble. 10. Low, faint, small, feeble, piping, womanish. 11. Thin, watery, diluted, waterish, insipid, tasteless. 12. Sleazy, flimsy, slight, poor, trifling, feeble, frivolous. 13. Poor, inconclusive, unconvincing, unsatisfactory, lame, illogical, vague. 14. Accessible, assailable, vulnerable. 15. Unsustained, unsupported. 16. Ineffective, inefficient, inefficacious. 17. Unsound, unsafe, untrustworthy, frail, unsubstantial. 18. Infirm, unstable, unsteady, undecided, wavering, unsettled. 19. Ineffectual. 20. Powerless. 21. Delicate, frail, fragile. 22. Small, slight, slender, inconsiderable.

Moby Thesaurus

Adamic, Adamite, Adamitic, abulic, accented, accessible, achromatic, achromic, afraid, airy, alveolar, amenable, anemic, anile, anthropocentric, anthropological, apical, apico-alveolar, apico-dental, articulated, ashen, ashy, assailable, assimilated, asthenic, attackable, attenuate, attenuated, back, backsliding, barely audible, barytone, beatable, bilabial, blear, bleared, bleary, bled white, bloodless, blurred, blurry, boyish, broad, bungling, cacuminal, cadaverous, careless, carnal, central, cerebral, checked, chicken, chickenhearted, chloranemic, close, colorless, confused, conquerable, consonant, consonantal, continuant, coward, cowardly, cowed, crabbed, dark, daunted, dead, deadly pale, deathly pale, debilitated, decrepit, decrescendo, delicate, dental, diaphanous, dickey, dilute, diluted, dim, dimmed, dingy, discolored, dismayed, dissimilated, distant, doddered, doddering, doddery, dorsal, drooping, droopy, dull, earthy, easy, easygoing, effete, emasculate, enervated, enfeebled, erring, ethereal, etiolated, expugnable, exsanguinated, exsanguine, exsanguineous, fade, faded, fagged, faint, faint-voiced, fainthearted, fainting, faintish, fallen, fallow, fatigued, fearful, featherweight, feeble, feebleminded, feeling faint, filmy, fine, fine-drawn, finespun, finite, flabby, flaccid, flagging, flat, flavorless, fleshly, flimsy, floppy, fluctuant, foggy, footsore, forceless, fossilized, fragile, frail, frazzled, front, funking, funky, fuzzy, gauzy, gentle, gerontal, gerontic, ghastly, girlish, glide, glossal, glottal, gone, good and tired, gossamer, gracile, gray, gruelly, gutless, guttural, haggard, half-heard, half-seen, half-visible, hard, hazy, heavy, henhearted, hesitant, high, hominal, homocentric, hueless, human, humanistic, hypochromic, ill-defined, imbecile, impotent, imprecise, impressionable, improbable, impure, inadequate, inane, incompetent, inconceivable, inconclusive, inconspicuous, incredible, indefinite, indifferent, indistinct, indistinguishable, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inept, infirm, influenceable, insecure, insipid, insubstantial, intimidated, intonated, invertebrate, irresolute, jaded, jejune, labial, labiodental, labiovelar, lackluster, lacy, languid, languorous, lapsed, lax, leaden, lenient, light, lightweight, lily-livered, limber, limp, lingual, liquid, listless, livid, loose, low, low-profile, lurid, lusterless, lustless, malleable, man-centered, marrowless, mat, mealy, merely glimpsed, mid, mild, milk-and-water, milk-livered, milksoppish, milksoppy, misty, monophthongal, mortal, mossbacked, moth-eaten, mousy, movable, muddy, mummylike, murmured, muted, narrow, nasal, nasalized, negligent, nerveless, neutral, no-account, obscure, occlusive, of easy virtue, of no account, only human, open, open-minded, out of focus, overindulgent, overpermissive, overtimid, overtimorous, oxytone, palatal, palatalized, pale, pale as death, pale-faced, pallid, palsied, panic-prone, panicky, papery, papery-skinned, pappy, pasty, peccable, penetrable, permissive, persuadable, persuasible, pervious, pharyngeal, pharyngealized, phonemic, phonetic, phonic, pianissimo, piano, pigeonhearted, pitch, pitched, pithless, plastic, pliable, pliant, pooped, poor, postlapsarian, posttonic, powerless, pregnable, prodigal, pulpy, puny, rabbity, rare, rarefied, ravaged with age, ready to drop, receptive, recidivist, recidivistic, relaxed, remiss, responsive, retroflex, rickety, rootless, rounded, rubbery, run ragged, run to seed, run-down, rusty, sagging, sallow, sapless, savorless, scarcely heard, seedy, semivisible, semivowel, senile, shadowy, shaky, shriveled, sickly, sinewless, sissified, sissy, slack, slender, slenderish, slight, slight-made, slim, slimmish, slinky, slipshod, sloppy, small, soft, soft-sounding, soft-voiced, sonant, spiceless, spindly, spineless, stale, stopped, strengthless, stressed, stricken in years, strong, suasible, subaudible, subdued, subtle, suggestible, surd, surmountable, susceptible, svelte, swayable, syllabic, sylphlike, tallow-faced, tasteless, tellurian, tense, tenuous, thick, thin, thin-bodied, thin-set, thin-spun, thinnish, threadlike, throaty, timeworn, timid, timorous, tired, tired-winged, toilworn, tonal, toneless, tonic, tottering, tottery, trimming, twangy, unaccented, unangelic, unauthoritative, unbelievable, uncertain, unchaste, unclean, unclear, uncolored, unconvincing, undefined, undependable, unfit, unflavored, ungodly, ungood, unhardened, unmanly, unmanned, unnerved, unplain, unproved, unqualified, unrecognizable, unrefreshed, unreliable, unrestored, unrestrained, unrighteous, unrigorous, unrounded, unsaintly, unsavory, unsound, unstable, unstressed, unstrung, unsubstantial, unsuitable, unsure, unsustained, unvirtuous, vacillating, vague, vapid, velar, vincible, virtueless, vocalic, vocoid, voiced, voiceless, vowel, vowellike, vulnerable, wan, wanton, washed-out, washy, wasp-waisted, watered, watered-down, waterish, watery, wavering, waxen, way-weary, wayward, wayworn, weak-kneed, weak-minded, weak-voiced, weak-willed, weakened, weakhearted, weakly, wearied, weariful, weary, weary-footed, weary-laden, weary-winged, weary-worn, whey-faced, whispered, white, white-livered, wide, willowy, wilting, wiredrawn, wishy-washy, wispy, withered, without any weight, wizened, wobbly, worn, worn-down, yellow