weak

weak: /wi:k/ adjective
1 PHYSICALLY not physically strong: The illness had left her feeling tired and weak.
(+ with): Nina was weak with hunger. | weak heart/bladder/eyes etc (=that do not work properly)
2 CHARACTER easily influenced by other people because you cannot make decisions by yourself: a weak and indecisive man

3 NOT GOOD AT not having much ability or skill in a particular activity or subject: a weak backhand
(+ at/in): Julie's always been weak in science.
4 LEADERS/COUNTRIES/ORGANIZATIONS ETC not having much power or influence: weak trade unions | a weak leader

5 ARGUMENT/EXPLANATION/STORY ETC not having the power to persuade or interest people: The play was well-acted but the plot was weak.

6 INDUSTRY/COMPANY ETC not successful financially: a weak economy | The pound was weak against the dollar.

7 BUILDINGS/OBJECTS unable to support a lot of weight: a weak bridge.

8 DRINK/LIQUID containing a lot of water or having little taste: weak tea

9 LIGHT/SOUND difficult to see or hear: a weak radio signal

10 weak point/spot a part of something or of someone's character that can easily be attacked or criticized
(+ in): Agassi soon found the weak spots in Stich's game.
11 weak at the knees not feeling well or strong, especially because you have had a sudden surprise or because you have seen someone you love: His quick smile sent her weak at the knees.

12 weak smile a slight smile, especially because you are not very happy

13 a weak moment a time when you can be persuaded more easily than usual: David caught me at a weak moment and I lent him -10.

14 weak in the head informal stupid or silly

15 weak chin/jaw a weak chin or jaw is not very well developed and people often think it suggests a weak character

16 weak verb technical a verb that forms the past tense and past participle in a regular way

17 weak consonant/syllable a weak consonant or syllable is not emphasized
—see also: weaker sex — weakly adverb: "I'm sorry," she said, smiling weakly. | He sank down weakly on the sofa.

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Synonyms:

Feeble, languid, weekly / Low, faint, small, feeble, piping, womanish / Thin, watery, diluted, waterish, insipid, tasteless / Sleazy, flimsy, slight, poor, trifling, feeble, frivolous / Poor, inconclusive, unconvincing, unsatisfactory, lame, illogical, vague / Accessible, assailable, vulnerable / Unsustained, unsupported / Ineffective, inefficient, inefficacious / Unsound, unsafe, untrustworthy, frail, unsubstantial / Infirm, unstable, unsteady, undecided, wavering, unsettled / Ineffectual / Sickly, debilitated, unhealthy, unsound, infirm, tender, valetudinary, valetudinarian, invalid, frail, delicate, fragile / Powerless / Delicate, frail, fragile / Small, slight, slender, inconsiderable / Defenceless, unguarded, exposed, unprotected / Soft, pliant / Pliable, pusillanimous, easily influenced, without any backbone, irresolute / Shallow, simple, silly, senseless, witless, stupid, foolish, childish, imbecile / Unwise, injudicious / Indiscreet, erring, peccable, foolish, imprudent / Feeble

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Weak — (w[=e]k), a. [Compar. {Weaker} (w[=e]k [ 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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
weak — W2S3 [wi:k] adj ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(physical)¦ 2¦(likely to break)¦ 3¦(character)¦ 4¦(without power)¦ 5¦(without interest)¦ 6¦(without energy)¦ 7¦(not good at doing something)¦ 8¦(money)¦ 9¦(argument/idea)¦ 10¦(drink)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
weak — [ wik ] adjective *** ▸ 1 lacking energy ▸ 2 lacking power ▸ 3 easily persuaded ▸ 4 bad in quality ▸ 5 likely to break/fail ▸ 6 with a lot of water ▸ 7 lacking strength ▸ 8 in linguistics 1. ) part of your body that is weak is not as strong or… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
weak — [wiːk] adjective FINANCE 1. if markets, investments, currencies etc are weak, their prices are falling: • The company reported a loss of C$16 million, mostly because of weak metals prices. • The weak dollar has ma … Financial and business terms
weak — [wēk] adj. [ME waik < ON veikr, akin to OE wac, feeble (which the ON word replaced) < IE * weig , * weik (< base * wei , to bend) > WEEK, WICKER, L vicis, change] 1. a) lacking in strength of body or muscle; not physically strong b)… … English World dictionary
weak — weak·en; weak·en·er; weak; weak·ish; weak·li·ness; weak·ness; elec·tro·weak; weak·ling; weak·ly; weak·head·ed·ly; weak·head·ed·ness; weak·heart·ed·ly; weak·heart·ed·ness; weak·ish·ly; weak·ish·ness; weak·kneed·ly; weak·kneed·ness; … English syllables
weak — weak, feeble, frail, fragile, infirm, decrepit can mean not strong enough to bear, resist, or endure strain or pressure or to withstand difficulty, effort, or use. Weak is by far the widest in its range of application, being not only… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Weak — is a generic adjective pertaining to a general state of feebleness, a lack of strength, durability, or vigor. Contents 1 Music 2 Other 3 See also … Wikipedia
weak — [adj1] not strong anemic, debilitated, decrepit, delicate, effete, enervated, exhausted, faint, feeble, flaccid, flimsy, forceless, fragile, frail, hesitant, impuissant, infirm, insubstantial, irresolute, lackadaisical*, languid, languorous, limp … New thesaurus
weak — c.1300, from O.N. veikr weak, cognate with O.E. wac weak, pliant, soft, from P.Gmc. *waikwaz yield, *wikanan bend (Cf. O.S. wek, Swed. vek, M.Du. weec, Du. week weak, soft, tender, O.H.G. weih … Etymology dictionary
weak´en|er — weak|en «WEE kuhn», transitive verb. to make weak or weaker: »You can weaken tea by adding water. –v.i. 1. to grow or become weak or weaker. 2. to take a less firm attitude; give way: »We are almost to the top of the mountain; let s not weaken… … Useful english dictionary

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weak

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Longman dictionary of contemporary English

weak

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