weak (redirected from weaker)

weak  (wk)

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

a. 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.

b. 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.

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[Middle English weike, from Old Norse veikr, pliant; see weik-² in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: weak, feeble, frail¹, 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.

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weak [wiːk]

adj

1. lacking in physical or mental strength or force; frail or feeble

2. liable to yield, break, or give way a weak link in a chain

3. lacking in resolution or firmness of character

4. lacking strength, power, or intensity a weak voice

5. lacking strength in a particular part a team weak in defence

6.

a.  not functioning as well as normal weak eyes

b.  easily upset a weak stomach

7. lacking in conviction, persuasiveness, etc. a weak argument

8. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) lacking in political or strategic strength a weak state

9. (Cookery) lacking the usual, full, or desirable strength of flavour weak tea

10. (Linguistics / Grammar) Grammar

a.  denoting or belonging to a class of verbs, in certain languages including the Germanic languages, whose conjugation relies on inflectional endings rather than internal vowel gradation, as look, looks, looking, looked

b.  belonging to any part-of-speech class, in any of various languages, whose inflections follow the more regular of two possible patterns Compare strong [13]

11. (Literature / Poetry) (of a syllable) not accented or stressed

12. (Engineering / Automotive Engineering) (of a fuel-air mixture) containing a relatively low proportion of fuel Compare rich [13]

13. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Photography) Photog having low density or contrast; thin

14. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Stock Exchange) (of an industry, market, currency, securities, etc.) falling in price or characterized by falling prices

[Old English wāc soft, miserable; related to Old Saxon wēk, Old High German weih, Old Norse veikr]

weakish  adj

weakishly  adv

weakishness  n

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	weak - wanting in physical strength; "a weak pillar" delicate - exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly" powerless - lacking power untoughened, tender - physically untoughened; "tender feet" strong - having strength or power greater than average or expected; "a strong radio signal"; "strong medicine"; "a strong man"
	2.	weak - overly diluted; thin and insipid; "washy coffee"; "watery milk"; "weak tea" washy, watery dilute, diluted - reduced in strength or concentration or quality or purity; "diluted alcohol"; "a dilute solution"; "dilute acetic acid"
	3.	weak - (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" unaccented, light unstressed - not bearing a stress or accent; "short vowels are unstressed"
	4.	weak - 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" fallible, frail, imperfect human - having human form or attributes as opposed to those of animals or divine beings; "human beings"; "the human body"; "human kindness"; "human frailty"
	5.	weak - tending downward in price; "a weak market for oil stocks" down - being or moving lower in position or less in some value; "lay face down"; "the moon is down"; "our team is down by a run"; "down by a pawn"; "the stock market is down today"
	6.	weak - deficient or lacking in some skill; "he's weak in spelling" unskilled - not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency; "unskilled in the art of rhetoric"; "an enthusiastic but unskillful mountain climber"; "unskilled labor"; "workers in unskilled occupations are finding fewer and fewer job opportunities"; "unskilled workmanship"
	7.	weak - lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality; "a feeble old woman"; "her body looked sapless" debile, infirm, sapless, weakly, decrepit, feeble, rickety frail - physically weak; "an invalid's frail body"
	8.	weak - (used of verbs) having standard (or regular) inflection grammar - the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics) regular - in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle; "his regular calls on his customers"; "regular meals"; "regular duties"
	9.	weak - not having authority, political strength, or governing power; "a weak president" powerless - lacking power
	10.	weak - 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" faint perceptible - capable of being perceived by the mind or senses; "a perceptible limp"; "easily perceptible sounds"; "perceptible changes in behavior"
	11.	weak - likely to fail under stress or pressure; "the weak link in the chain" fallible - likely to fail or make errors; "everyone is fallible to some degree"
	12.	weak - deficient in intelligence or mental power; "a weak mind" stupid - lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

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weak

adjective

1. feeble, exhausted, frail, debilitated, spent, wasted, weakly, tender, delicate, faint, fragile, shaky, sickly, languid, puny, decrepit, unsteady, infirm, anaemic, effete, enervated I was too weak to move my arms and legs.
feeble strong, tough, healthy, mighty, hardy, energetic, hefty

2. deficient, wanting, poor, lacking, inadequate, pathetic, faulty, substandard, under-strength His eyesight had always been weak.
deficient able, effective, capable

3. ineffectual, pathetic, cowardly, powerless, soft, impotent, indecisive, infirm, spineless, boneless, timorous, weak-kneed (informal), namby-pamby, irresolute a weak man who let his wife walk all over him
ineffectual firm, resolute

4. slight, faint, feeble, pathetic, shallow, hollow He managed a weak smile and said, `Don't worry about me.'

5. faint, soft, quiet, slight, small, low, poor, distant, dull, muffled, imperceptible Her voice was so weak we could hardly hear her.
faint powerful, loud

6. fragile, brittle, flimsy, unsound, fine, delicate, frail, dainty, breakable The animals escaped through a weak spot in the fence.

7. unsafe, exposed, vulnerable, helpless, wide open, unprotected, untenable, defenceless, unguarded The trade unions are in a very weak position.
unsafe safe, secure, invulnerable, well-defended

8. unconvincing, unsatisfactory, lame, invalid, flimsy, inconclusive, pathetic The evidence against him was too weak to hold up in court. unconvincing powerful, convincing, obvious, solid, valid, forceful, conclusive, trustworthy, incontrovertible

9. tasteless, thin, diluted, watery, runny, insipid, wishy-washy (informal), under-strength, milk-and-water, waterish a weak cup of tea
tasteless strong, potent, tasty, intoxicating, flavoursome, industrial-strength (chiefly humorous)

10. dim, pale, faint, muted, feeble, dull, wan The light was so weak we could barely see anything

Quotations
"The weakest goes to the wall" [William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet]

Translations

weak [wiːk]

A. ADJ (weaker (compar) (weakest (superl)))

1. (physically) [person, limb, constitution] → débil
he was too weak to stand up → estaba demasiado débil para levantarse, no tenía fuerzas para levantarse
to have weak eyesight → tener mala vista
to feel weak → sentirse débil
my legs/arms felt weak → no tenía fuerza en las piernas/los brazos
to be weak from hunger → estar debilitado por el hambre
to grow or get weak(er) → debilitarse
to have a weak heart → padecer del corazón
the weaker sex (o.f.) → el sexo débil
to have a weak stomach → marearse con facilidad
to be weak with hunger → estar debilitado por el hambre
to be weak with fear → estar débil por el miedo
to be weak in the head → ser cortito de arriba
to go weak at the knees I went weak at the knees → se me flaquearon las piernas

2. (= fragile) [bone, fingernail, bond] → frágil; [structure] → endeble, frágil; [material] → endeble
that chair's got a weak leg → a esa silla le falla una pata → esa silla tiene una pata floja
the weak link (in the chain) (fig) → el eslabón flojo(de la cadena)

3. (= ineffectual) [person, voice, smile, currency, government] → débil; [economy] → débil, flojo; [market] → flojo
they believe it is weak to cry → creen que llorar es signo de debilidad, creen que llorar es de débiles
the dollar is weak against the pound → el dólar está débil en comparación con la libra
to have a weak chin → tener una barbilla poco pronunciada

4. (= poor) [subject, student, team] → flojo
geography is my weak subject → estoy flojo en geografía → la geografía es mi asignatura floja
to be weak at or in sth → flojear en algo, estar flojo en algo
the course was very weak on grammar → el curso era muy flojo en lo referente a gramática
weak point → punto m débil
see also spot A4

5. (= unconvincing) [argument, evidence] → poco sólido, poco convincente; [case] → poco sólido; [excuse, answer] → poco convincente
the film had a weak plot → el argumento de la película era muy flojo

6. (= faint) [light] → débil, tenue; [sun, signal, electric current] → débil; [tide, current] → flojo; [pulse] → débil, flojo

7. (= watery) [coffee, tea, alcoholic drink] → poco cargado; [solution] → diluido

B. NPL the weak → los débiles

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weak [ˈwiːk] adj

(= not physically strong) [person] → faible; [leg, muscle] → faible
to grow weaker → s'affaiblir
weak from hunger → affaibli(e) par la faim

(= not normal) [health] → fragile; [heart, stomach] → fragile
weak eyesight → la vue basse
weak hearing → des problèmes d'audition
to have weak eyesight → avoir la vue basse, avoir une mauvaise vue
Ron has weak eyesight → Ron a la vue basse., Ron a une mauvaise vue.

[structure] → peu solide

[tea, coffee] → léger/ère

(= not psychologically strong) [person, character] → faible

[lacking confidence] [voice, smile] → faible

(= unsuccessful) [currency, economy, industry] → faible; [performance] → faible

(= lacking power) [government, leader] → faible
in a weak position → en position de faiblesse

(= unconvincing) [argument, evidence] → faible

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weak

adj (+er) → schwach; character → labil; tea, solution etc → dünn; stomach → empfindlich; he was weak from hunger → ihm war schwach vor Hunger; to go/feel weak at the knees (after illness) → sich wackelig fühlen, wackelig or schwach auf den Beinen sein (inf); (with fear, excitement etc) → weiche Knie haben/bekommen; the weaker sex → das schwache Geschlecht; he must be a bit weak in the head (inf) → er ist wohl nicht ganz bei Trost (inf); her maths is weak, she is weak at or in maths → sie ist schwach in Mathe; the dollar is weak against the pound → der Dollar steht schwach zum Pfund; what are his weak points? → wo liegen seine Schwächen?; the weak link (in the chain) → das schwache Glied in der Kette

n the weak pl (= needy, vulnerable) → die Schwachen pl

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weak [wiːk] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) (gen) → debole; (tea, coffee) → leggero/a; (health) → precario/a; (excuse, effort) → inefficace
to grow weak(er) = to weaken 2
a weak chin → un mento sfuggente
to have weak eyes or eyesight → avere la vista debole
her French is weak, she is weak at French → è scarsa in francese
weak in the head (fam) → tocco/a → toccato/a
to go weak at the knees (with excitement, hunger) → avere le gambe che fanno giacomo giacomo
the weak link in the chain → l'anello debole della catena
weak verb → verbo debole

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weak [wiːk] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) (gen) → debole; (tea, coffee) → leggero/a; (health) → precario/a; (excuse, effort) → inefficace
to grow weak(er) = to weaken 2
a weak chin → un mento sfuggente
to have weak eyes or eyesight → avere la vista debole
her French is weak, she is weak at French → è scarsa in francese
weak in the head (fam) → tocco/a → toccato/a
to go weak at the knees (with excitement, hunger) → avere le gambe che fanno giacomo giacomo
the weak link in the chain → l'anello debole della catena
weak verb → verbo debole

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weak

adj weak [wiːk]

1 lacking in physical strength Her illness has made her very weak. swak ضَعيف الجِسِم слаб slabý svag; slap schwach αδύναμος débil nõrk ضعف heikko faible חַלָש कमजोर slab gyönge lemah máttlaus, veikburða debole 弱い (체력이) 약한 silpnas vājš; nespēcīgs lemah zwak svak(elig), skrøpelig słaby, słabowity fraco slab слабый slabý šibek slab svag, klen, vek อ่อนแอ zayıf, güçsüz 虛弱的 слабкий, кволий کمزور yếu 虚弱

2 not strong in character I'm very weak when it comes to giving up cigarettes. swak ضَعيف الشَّخْصِيَّه мек nepevný svag schwach αδύναμος, που του λείπει το σθένος débil nõrga iseloomuga ضعيف heikkoluonteinen sans volonté חַלָש ढुलमुल slab gyönge lemah veikgeðja debole 弱い (의지, 성격이) 약한 silpnos valios vājš; vājas gribas- lemah zwak (karakter)svak, pyset bezwolny fraco slab, fără voinţă безвольный nepevný neodločen slab svag ไม่แข็งแรง iradesiz, zayıf 軟弱的 нерішучий اخلاقی قوت میں کمزور thiếu nghị lực 软弱

3 (of a liquid) diluted; not strong weak tea. flou خَفيف، مُرَقَّق разреден slabý svag dünn αραιός flojo, aguado, poco cargado lahja آبكي laimea faible חַלָש हल्की slab híg encer þunnur, bragðlítill allungato, diluito 薄い 묽은, 싱거운 silpnas vājš; viegls cair slap svak, tynn cienki fraco slab, diluat жидкий; некрепкий slabý šibek slab svag เจือจาง sulu 稀淡的 неміцний ہلکا nhạt 淡的

4 (of an explanation etc) not convincing. flou واهٍ، ضَعيف، غَيْر مُقْنِع нерешителен nepřesvědčivý svag; dårlig schwach διόλου πειστικός flojo, pobre, poco convincente ebaveenev سست عنصر hatara peu convaincant חַלָש अविश्वसनीय neuvjerljiv nem meggyőző tidak meyakinkan ósannfærandi debole 説得力のない 설득력이 약한 neįtikinamas, silpnas vājš; nepārliecinošs tidak meyakinkan slap svak, ikke overbevisende nieprzekonywający fraco ne­convingător неубедительный nepresvedčivý neprepričljiv neubedljiv dålig ซึ่งไม่อาจโน้มน้าวใจได้ inandırıcı olmayan, zayıf (解釋等)不足採信的 непереконливий ناقابل یقین thiếu thuyết phục （论证等）无力的

5 (of a joke) not particularly funny. flou غَيْر مُضْحِك، باهِت скучен ubohý dårlig schwach κρύος (μτφ. για αστείο) sin gracia, soso vilets بي مزه huono plat חַלָש फीका loš (vic) hatástalan, gyönge tidak lucu lélegur piatto へたな 별로 감명을 못주는 skystas vājš; čābisks; šķidrs tidak bagus flauw flau (vits) kiepski sem graça fără haz вялый úbohý bled, medel ne baš smešan dålig ซึ่งไม่ตลก pek komik olmayan (笑話)不特別好笑的 слабкий مضحکہ خیز نہ ہونا nhạt nhẽo 不足（奇）的

adv weakly

flou بِضَعْف слабо slabě svagt; slapt schwächlich αδύναμα débilmente nõrgalt به سستي heikosti faiblement בְּחוּלשָה अस्वस्थ slabo, loše gyengén, betegesen dengan lemah þróttlaust; dauflega debolmente 弱く 약하게 silpnai vāji; nedroši dengan lemah zwak svakt, kraftløst słabo fracamente fără putere слабо slabo šibko slabo svagt อย่างอ่อนแอ; อย่างไม่แข็งแรง zayıf biçimde 虛弱地 кволо کمزوری سے một cách yếu ớt 虚弱地

v weaken

to (cause to) become weak, especially in physical strength or character The patient has weakened; The strain of the last few days has weakened him. verswak يُضْعِف отслабвам zeslábnout, oslabit blive svag; gøre svag schwächen εξασθενίζω, αποδυναμώνω debilitar(se) nõrgestuma, nõrgestama ضعيف شدن heikentää (s')affaiblir לְהֵיחָלֵש दुर्बल oslabjeti legyengül; legyengít melemahkan veikja, draga mátt úr indebolire, indebolirsi 弱る 약하게 하다 susilpninti, susilpnėti novājēt; kļūt nespēcīgākam; novājināt menjadi lemah verzwakken bli svak(ere), svekke(s) osłabnąć, osłabić enfraquecer a (se) slăbi ослаблять zoslabnúť, oslabiť oslabeti; oslabiti oslabiti bli (göra) svag[] ทำให้อ่อนแอ zayıfla(t)mak 削弱，變弱 ослабляти; слабшати کمزور ہونا làm yếu đi 削弱，减弱

n weakling [-liŋ]

a weak person, animal, or plant She married a weakling. swakkeling ضَعيف البُنْيَه أو الشَّخْصِيَّه болнав slaboch svækling der Schwächling αδύναμο πλάσμα, ανθρωπάκι debilucho, enfermizo tossike ضعيف rääpäle être faible יְצוּר חַלָש कमजोर slabić nyápic ember orang lemah veikburða maður/dÿr/planta debole 弱い人 허약자 paliegėlis, nupiepėlis vārgulis; nīkulis; gļēvulis orang yang lemah slappeling svekling, sinke, stakkar cherlak raquítico fiinţă slabă слабый/хилый кто-л., слабак slaboch slabič slabić vekling, klen individ ผู้ที่อ่อนแอ; ผู้มีจิตใจอ่อนแอ; ผู้มีสุขภาพอ่อนแอ güçsüz kimse/hayvan, bitki; iradesiz kimse 體弱或意志薄弱的人、脆弱的動植物 слабка істота پتلا دبلا người/vật yếu đuối 体弱的人

n weakness

1 the state of being weak. swakheid ضَعْف слабост slabost svaghed die Schwäche αδυναμία debilidad nõrkus ضعف heikkous faiblesse חולשָה कमजोरी slabost gyengeség kelemahan þróttleysi debolezza 弱さ 약함 silpnumas vājums; nespēks keadaan menjadi lemah zwakheid svakhet słabość fraqueza slăbiciune слабость slabosť slabost slabost svaghet ความอ่อนแอ zayıflık, güçsüzlük 虛弱 слабкість, кволість ناتوانی tình trạng yếu đuối 虚弱

2 something weak or faulty; a defect weaknesses of character; Smoking is one of my weaknesses. swakte نُقْطَة ضَعْف недостатък slabost svaghed die Schwäche αδυναμία, ελάττωμα debilidad nõrkus نقص puute faiblesse חוּלשָה कमजोरी slabost gyengéje vkinek, vminek kelemahan veikleiki debolezza 弱点 결함 silpnybė vājība; trūkums kelemahan zwakheid skavank, svakhet słabość fraqueza slăbiciune слабость, недостаток slabosť šibka točka slabost svaghet จุดอ่อน; ข้อด้อย kusur, noksan 弱點 слабке місце, недолік خامی nhược điểm 弱点

have a weakness for

to have a liking for She has a weakness for chocolate biscuits. 'n swakte hê vir iets مَيّالٌ إلى ، لَدَيْهِ ضَعْفٌ نَحْوَ имам слабост към mít slabost pro have en svaghed for eine Schwäche haben für έχω αδυναμία σε tener debilidad por (millegi) suhtes nõrk olema ميل به چيزي داشتن olla heikkona jhnk avoir un faible pour חוּלשָה शौक slabost gyengéje vkinek menyukai, gemar vera veikur fyrir avere un debole per ～に目がない 좋아서 사족을 못쓰다 turėti (kam nors) silpnybę būt vājībai (uz kaut ko) kesusahan untuk menahan sesuatu yang disukai een zwak hebben voor ha en svakhet for mieć słabość do ter um fraco por a avea o slăbiciune pentru питать слабость mať slabosť pre imeti posebno ljubezen do obožavati vara svag för ชอบมาก ...-e/a aşırı düşkün olmak, zaafı olmak (難以抗拒地)喜歡 мати пристрасть до کوءی چیز بے حد پسند ہونا có sở thích 癖好

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weak → ضعيف slabý svag schwach αδύναμος débil heikko faible slab debole 弱い 약한 zwak svak słaby fraco слабый svag อ่อนแอ zayıf yếu 弱的