weak
adj.-
1 lacking physical strength (adj.) A2 Elementarynot physically strong or healthy.
lacking physical power, vigour, or robustness; often used to describe a person's constitution or a specific muscle group.
ExampleHe felt weak after having the flu for a whole week.
ExampleThe patient's pulse remained weak and thready for several hours following the surgery, requiring constant monitoring by the nursing staff.
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2 easily broken (adj.) A2 Elementarylikely to break or fail under pressure.
lacking structural integrity or the ability to withstand weight, pressure, or strain.
ExampleDon't sit on that chair; the legs are very weak.
ExampleThe bridge was closed to heavy traffic after engineers discovered a weak point in the central supporting arch.
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3 lacking power or influence (adj.) B1 Intermediatenot having much power, influence, or authority.
lacking in force, authority, or the ability to command; often used of leaders, governments, or positions.
ExampleThe king was a weak ruler who couldn't control his own army.
ExampleThe central government was too weak to enforce the new environmental regulations across the distant provinces.
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4 diluted or thin (adj.) B1 Intermediate Cookingcontaining a lot of water and not much flavour or strength.
lacking in normal or expected potency, intensity, or flavour due to dilution.
ExampleI prefer my tea quite weak, so please don't leave the tea bag in for long.
ExampleThe coffee served at the conference was disappointingly weak, tasting more like tinted water than a morning stimulant.
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5 not convincing (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediate Lawnot easy to believe or not supported by good reasons.
lacking the power to convince or persuade; poorly supported by evidence or logic.
ExampleThe police thought his excuse for being late was very weak.
ExampleThe prosecution's case was considered weak because it relied almost entirely on circumstantial evidence rather than forensic proof.
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6 lacking character (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediateeasily influenced by other people or unable to resist temptation.
lacking in moral strength, resolution, or willpower; easily persuaded or led by others.
ExampleHe knew he shouldn't have another dessert, but he was too weak to say no.
ExampleCritics described the protagonist as a weak character who allowed himself to be manipulated by everyone he encountered.
- resolute
- strong willed
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7 subatomic force (adj.) C2 Proficiency Technical Sciencerelated to one of the four basic forces in nature that causes some types of radiation.
relating to the weak interaction, one of the four fundamental forces of nature, responsible for nuclear beta decay.
ExampleScientists study the weak force to understand how particles break apart.
ExampleThe Standard Model of particle physics unifies the electromagnetic and weak forces into a single electroweak interaction.
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8 bad or uncool (adj.) C1 Advanced Slang Informalnot good, boring, or disappointing.
used to describe something as inadequate, unimpressive, or socially pathetic.
ExampleIt's really weak that they cancelled the party at the last minute.
ExampleThe crowd thought the comedian's opening set was pretty weak, as nobody laughed at his first three jokes.
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.