# weak

/ˈwik/ (US) · /wˈiːk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/weak
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. lacking physical strength

adjective · CEFR A2

not physically strong or healthy.

For teachers: lacking physical power, vigour, or robustness; often used to describe a person's constitution or a specific muscle group.

- He felt weak after having the flu for a whole week.
- The patient's pulse remained weak and thready for several hours following the surgery, requiring constant monitoring by the nursing staff.

### 2. easily broken

adjective · CEFR A2

likely to break or fail under pressure.

For teachers: lacking structural integrity or the ability to withstand weight, pressure, or strain.

- Don't sit on that chair; the legs are very weak.
- The bridge was closed to heavy traffic after engineers discovered a weak point in the central supporting arch.

### 3. lacking power or influence

adjective · CEFR B1

not having much power, influence, or authority.

For teachers: lacking in force, authority, or the ability to command; often used of leaders, governments, or positions.

- The king was a weak ruler who couldn't control his own army.
- The central government was too weak to enforce the new environmental regulations across the distant provinces.

### 4. diluted or thin

adjective · CEFR B1

containing a lot of water and not much flavour or strength.

For teachers: lacking in normal or expected potency, intensity, or flavour due to dilution.

- I prefer my tea quite weak, so please don't leave the tea bag in for long.
- The coffee served at the conference was disappointingly weak, tasting more like tinted water than a morning stimulant.

### 5. not convincing

adjective · CEFR B2

not easy to believe or not supported by good reasons.

For teachers: lacking the power to convince or persuade; poorly supported by evidence or logic.

- The police thought his excuse for being late was very weak.
- The prosecution's case was considered weak because it relied almost entirely on circumstantial evidence rather than forensic proof.

### 6. lacking character

adjective · CEFR B2

easily influenced by other people or unable to resist temptation.

For teachers: lacking in moral strength, resolution, or willpower; easily persuaded or led by others.

- He knew he shouldn't have another dessert, but he was too weak to say no.
- Critics described the protagonist as a weak character who allowed himself to be manipulated by everyone he encountered.

### 8. subatomic force

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

related to one of the four basic forces in nature that causes some types of radiation.

For teachers: relating to the weak interaction, one of the four fundamental forces of nature, responsible for nuclear beta decay.

- Scientists study the weak force to understand how particles break apart.
- The Standard Model of particle physics unifies the electromagnetic and weak forces into a single electroweak interaction.

### 9. bad or uncool

adjective · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

not good, boring, or disappointing.

For teachers: used to describe something as inadequate, unimpressive, or socially pathetic.

- It's really weak that they cancelled the party at the last minute.
- The crowd thought the comedian's opening set was pretty weak, as nobody laughed at his first three jokes.

## Examples

- My legs feel weak after the long run.
- The bridge was closed to heavy trucks because the old wooden supports had become too weak to carry the weight.
- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.