weak
- 01 A2 Elementary
not physically strong or healthy.
lacking physical power, vigour, or robustness; often used to describe a person's constitution or a specific muscle group.
Simple“He felt weak after having the flu for a whole week.”
In context“The patient's pulse remained weak and thready for several hours following the surgery, requiring constant monitoring by the nursing staff.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
likely to break or fail under pressure.
lacking structural integrity or the ability to withstand weight, pressure, or strain.
Simple“Don't sit on that chair; the legs are very weak.”
In context“The bridge was closed to heavy traffic after engineers discovered a weak point in the central supporting arch.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
not having much power, influence, or authority.
lacking in force, authority, or the ability to command; often used of leaders, governments, or positions.
Simple“The king was a weak ruler who couldn't control his own army.”
In context“The central government was too weak to enforce the new environmental regulations across the distant provinces.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
containing a lot of water and not much flavour or strength.
lacking in normal or expected potency, intensity, or flavour due to dilution.
Simple“I prefer my tea quite weak, so please don't leave the tea bag in for long.”
In context“The coffee served at the conference was disappointingly weak, tasting more like tinted water than a morning stimulant.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
not easy to believe or not supported by good reasons.
lacking the power to convince or persuade; poorly supported by evidence or logic.
Simple“The police thought his excuse for being late was very weak.”
In context“The prosecution's case was considered weak because it relied almost entirely on circumstantial evidence rather than forensic proof.”
Antonyms - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
easily influenced by other people or unable to resist temptation.
lacking in moral strength, resolution, or willpower; easily persuaded or led by others.
Simple“He knew he shouldn't have another dessert, but he was too weak to say no.”
In context“Critics described the protagonist as a weak character who allowed himself to be manipulated by everyone he encountered.”
SynonymsAntonymsresolutestrong willed - 07 C2 Proficiency
related 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.
Simple“Scientists study the weak force to understand how particles break apart.”
In context“The Standard Model of particle physics unifies the electromagnetic and weak forces into a single electroweak interaction.”
Antonyms - 08 C1 Advanced
not good, boring, or disappointing.
used to describe something as inadequate, unimpressive, or socially pathetic.
Simple“It's really weak that they cancelled the party at the last minute.”
In context“The 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.