5 : lacking skill or proficiency; also : indicative of a lack of skill or aptitude
6 : lacking vigor of expression or effect
7 : of less than usual strength <~ tea>
8 : not having or exerting authority <~ government>; also : INEFFECTIVE, IMPOTENT
9 : of, relating to, or constituting a verb or verb conjugation that forms the past tense and past participle by adding -ed or -d or -t
— weak·ly adverb
Synonyms
[1] delicate, enervated, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, slight, soft, tender, torpid, unsubstantial, wasted; also challenged, disabled, incapacitated; paralyzed; decrepit, worn out; impotent, powerless, puny; breakable, flimsy, fragile; dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy; exhausted, tired, weary; damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured; resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding
Antonyms
mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong
[3] effete, frail, ineffective, nerveless, soft, spineless, wimpy, wishy-washy; also impotent, powerless; emasculated, unnerved; pliable, submissive; corrupt, unprincipled, unscrupulous, villainous; cowardly, craven
Antonyms
firm, strong, tough
[4] fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, unreasonable, unsound—more at ILLOGICAL
[6] helpless, impotent, powerless—more at POWERLESS
[7] dilute, thin, watery; also adulterated, watered (down)
Antonyms
full-bodied, rich, strong
weak·en verb : to make or become weak
Synonyms
adulterate, dilute, thin, water—more at ADULTERATE
debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, prostrate, sap, soften, tire, waste; also cripple, disable, incapacitate; deplete, depress, exhaust, impoverish, unman, wash out; damage, harm, hurt, impair, injure; break down, wear out; paralyze
Antonyms
beef (up), fortify, recruit, strengthen
decay, droop, fail, flag, go, lag, languish, sag, waste, wilt; also break down, wear out; yield
weak·fish noun [ORIGIN: obs. D weekvis, fr. D week soft + vis fish; fr. its tender flesh]
: a common marine fish of the Atlantic coast of the U.S. caught for food and sport; also : any of several related food fishes
weak force noun : the physical force responsible for particle decay processes in radioactivity
weak–kneed adjective : lacking willpower or resolution
weak·ling noun : a person who is physically, mentally, or morally weak
weak·ly adjective : not strong or robust in health
Synonyms
invalid, sickly—more at SICKLY
weak·ness noun 1 a : the quality or state of being weak : lack of strength or vigor
b : an instance or period of being weak 2 : something that is a mark of lack of strength or resolution
3 : an object of special desire or fondness Synonyms
[1a] debility, delicacy, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailty, infirmity, languor, lowness; also decay, decrepitude; breakdown, collapse, exhaustion, nervous breakdown, prostration; helplessness; tenderness; damage, harm, hurt, impairment, injury
Antonyms
hardihood, hardiness, robustness, strength, vigor
[2] demerit, failing, fault, foible, frailty, shortcoming, vice, weakness—more at FAULT
1weal noun : a sound, healthy, or prosperous state : WELL-BEING
Synonyms
good, interest, welfare, well-being—more at WELFARE
2weal noun : WELT
weald noun [ORIGIN: The Weald, wooded district in England, fr. ME Weeld the Weald, fr. OE weald forest]
1 : FOREST
2 : WOLD