ENGLISH
REFERENCE

weak

adj.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈwik// UK //wˈiːk// weak General-service Slang

adj. lacking physical strength or power. You use this to describe someone who is not strong or something that breaks easily.

adj. lacking physical strength, energy, or the ability to resist external force. Often used to describe a lack of intensity in flavor, light, or logical argument.


SIMPLE

My legs feel weak after the long run.

CONTEXTUAL

The bridge was closed to heavy trucks because the old wooden supports had become too weak to carry the weight.

COMPLEX

The defense attorney argued that the prosecution's case was built on weak evidence and hearsay, failing to meet the burden of proof required for a conviction.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Gradable adjective; commonly modified by degree adverbs like 'very' or 'extremely'.

Idioms3 entries

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