weak

adj., weak·er, weak·est.

1. Lacking physical strength, energy, or vigor; feeble.
2. Likely to fail under pressure, stress, or strain; lacking resistance: a weak link in a chain.
3. Lacking firmness of character or strength of will.
4. Lacking the proper strength or amount of ingredients: weak coffee.
5. Lacking the ability to function normally or fully: a weak heart.
6. Lacking aptitude or skill: a weak student; weak in math.
7. Lacking or resulting from a lack of intelligence.
8. Lacking persuasiveness; unconvincing: a weak argument.
9. Lacking authority or the power to govern.
10. Lacking potency or intensity: weak sunlight.
11. Linguistics.
    1. Of, relating to, or being those verbs in Germanic languages that form a past tense and past participle by means of a dental suffix, as start, started; have, had; bring, brought.
    2. Of, relating to, or being the inflection of nouns or adjectives in Germanic languages with a declensional suffix that historically contained an n.
12. Unstressed or unaccented in pronunciation or poetic meter. Used of a word or syllable.
13. Designating a verse ending in which the metrical stress falls on a word or syllable that is unstressed in normal speech, such as a preposition.
14. Tending downward in price: a weak market for oil stocks.

[Middle English weike, from Old Norse veikr, pliant.]

SYNONYMS   weak, feeble, frail, fragile, infirm, decrepit, debilitated. These adjectives mean lacking or showing a lack of strength. Weak is the most widely applicable: "These poor wretches ... were so weak they could hardly sit to their oars" (Daniel Defoe). Feeble suggests pathetic or grievous physical or mental weakness or hopeless inadequacy: a feeble intellect; a feeble effort. Frail implies delicacy and inability to endure or withstand: "an aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small" (Thomas Hardy.). What is fragile is easily broken, damaged, or destroyed: a fragile, expensive vase; a fragile state of mind after the accident. Infirm implies enfeeblement: "a poor, infirm, weak, and despis'd old man" (Shakespeare). Decrepit describes what is weakened, worn out, or broken down by hard use or the passage of time: a decrepit building slated for demolition. Debilitated suggests a gradual impairment of energy or strength: a debilitated constitution further weakened by overwork.

adjective

1. Not physically strong: decrepit, delicate, feeble, flimsy, fragile, frail, infirm, insubstantial, puny, unsound, unsubstantial, weakly. See strong/weak.
2. So lacking in strength as to be barely audible: faint, feeble. See strong/weak.
3. Lacking stability: infirm, insecure, precarious, shaky, tottering, tottery, unstable, unsteady, unsure, wobbly. See change/persist, strong/weak.
4. Not capable of accomplishing anything: helpless, impotent, inadequate, incapable, ineffectual, powerless. See ability/inability, strong/weak.
5. Lower than normal in strength or concentration due to admixture: dilute, thin, washy, watered-down, waterish, watery. See strong/weak.
6. Not plausible or believable: flimsy, implausible, improbable, inconceivable, incredible, shaky, thin, unbelievable, unconceivable, unconvincing, unsubstantial. See likely/unlikely.

Idioms beginning with weak:
weakness
weak as a kitten
weak link
weak moment, in a

See also spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

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adj

Definition: cowardly
Antonyms: bold, brave, confident

adj

Definition: deficient, feeble
Antonyms: able, capable, fit, sufficient

adj

Definition: exposed, vulnerable
Antonyms: guarded, protected, safe, secure

adj

Definition: faint, soft
Antonyms: loud, noisy, potent, strong

adj

Definition: not strong
Antonyms: firm, potent, strong

adj

Definition: watered-down
Antonyms: concentrated, strong, thick

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IN BRIEF: adj. - Having little physical or spiritual strength; Deficient in intelligence or mental power..

It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.” — Jimmy Carter, Source: Thinkexist.com

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - svag, kraftløs, skrøbelig, tam, mat, tynd

idioms:

• weak chin    [sl.] manglende beslutsomhed
• weak moment    svagt øjeblik

Nederlands (Dutch)
zwak, slap, week, krachteloos, incapabel, niet effectief, onvoldoende

Français (French)
adj. - faible, fragile, délicat, médiocre (une intelligence), défaillant (la mémoire), fuyant (un menton), tombant (une bouche), (Constr) peu solide, qui manque de fermeté (des parents), piètre, inconsistant (un roman), mince (une intrigue), peu convaincant, peu concluant (une preuve), léger (le café), dilué (une solution), (Écon, Fin) faible (une économie), à bas prix (une action), (Ling) faible, inaccentué, (Jeux) mauvais (une main), (Jeux) faible (une couleur)

idioms:

• weak chin    qui manque de résolution
• weak moment    dans un moment de faiblesse

Deutsch (German)
adj. - schwach, wäßrig

idioms:

• weak chin    kleines Kinn
• weak moment    schwacher Moment

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αδύναμος, ασθενής, ανήμπορος, ανίσχυρος, εξασθενημένος, (για ποτά κ.λπ.) ελαφρός ή αραιωμένος

idioms:

• weak chin    αδύναμος χαρακτήρας
• weak moment    στιγμή αδυναμίας

Italiano (Italian)
debole, fragile, molle

idioms:

• weak chin    mento sfuggente, indecisivo
• weak moment    momento di debolezza

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - fraco, inadequado

idioms:

• weak chin    ter o queixo furtivo
• weak moment    momento em que se comete um erro

Русский (Russian)
слабый, безвольный, неубедительный, неэффективный, неспособный, понижающийся (о ценах, курсах и т.д.)

idioms:

• weak chin    безвольный подбородок
• weak moment    минута слабости

Español (Spanish)
adj. - débil, endeble, delicado, suave, aguado, poco sólido, regular, agotado, flojo

idioms:

• weak chin    mentón poco pronunciado (considerado como debilidad de carácter)
• weak moment    momento de debilidad

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - svag, vek, matt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
不牢固的, 虚弱的, 弱的

idioms:

• weak chin    无男子气概的下巴, 消瘦的下巴
• weak moment    容易屈服的时候, 容易受引诱的时候

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 不牢固的, 虛弱的, 弱的

idioms:

• weak chin    無男子氣概的下巴, 消瘦的下巴
• weak moment    容易屈服的時候, 容易受引誘的時候

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 약한, 둔한, 불충분한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 弱い, もろい, 薄弱な, 薄い, 劣っている, 下手な, 弱変化の, 強勢のない

idioms:

• weak chin    気が弱い
• weak moment    気を抜いた時

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) ضعيف, غير قوي, واهن, أحمق, مذق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮חלש, רפה, מימי, דליל, שברירי, מרושל‬

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