Pronunciations (3)
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/wi(ː)k/
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[wɪik]
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wiːk
Adjective
Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability.
- Examples
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I felt weak after the illness.
The child was too weak to move the boulder.
They easily guessed his weak computer password.
More examples (3)
a poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man
weak with hunger, mad with love
The prospects for the global economy as outlined by the IMF are the third weakest since 2001, behind only the 2008 financial crisis and the worst phase of the coronavirus pandemic. Global growth has fallen below 2% just five times since 1970.
Unable to sustain a great weight, pressure, or strain.
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a weak timber; a weak rope
Limp, soft.
Unable to withstand temptation, urgency, persuasion, etc.; easily impressed, moved, or overcome; accessible; vulnerable.
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weak resolutions; weak virtue
Guard thy heart / On this weak side, where most our nature fails.
Having a strong, irrepressible emotional love for someone or (less often) something; sentimentally affected by such love.
Usage- often
- with for
- Examples
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'Cause sugar pie, honey bunch You know that I'm weak for you Can't help myself I love you and nobody else
It’s really good to hear your voice Sayin' my name, it sounds so sweet Comin' from the lips of an angel Hearin' those words, it makes me weak
Dilute, lacking in taste or potency.
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The tea is too weak.
More examples (1)
That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.
We were served stale bread and weak tea.
Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including: Regular in inflection, lacking vowel changes and having a past tense marked by /-d-/, /-t-/, or /-ð-/.
Usage- of verbs
- Antonyms
- Examples
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More examples (1)
The verb to walk is weak because it has a past tense of walked and all forms are inflected by adding the typical suffix (ie is regular) to the stem walk- (ie has no vowel changes).
The verb to run is strong, not weak, because the past tense is ran.
More examples (1)
The verb to be is neither weak nor strong, instead it is highly irregular in all inflections; its third person present tense is is instead of *bes (which can even be seen in this very sentence) and its past tense is was or were instead of *bed or *beed or anything similar, just to name a few of its inflections.
Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including: Showing less distinct grammatical endings.
Usage- of nouns
- Antonyms
Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including: Definite in meaning, often used with a definite article or similar word.
Usage- of adjectives
- Antonyms
Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including: Related to, containing, or being a consonant which is prone to disappearing in some inflections, in most applicable languages including (but not limited to) w and y.
- Antonyms
- Examples
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More examples (2)
In some Semitic languages such as Akkadian, some or all gutturals are weak and often disappear, but in others such as Arabic and Ugaritic, they are strong and never disappear.
The reflexes of the Proto-Semitic verb *mawut- (“to die”) are often weak due to the presence of w, for example: Arabic مَاتَ (māta), Hebrew מֵת (mēṯ), and Ugaritic 𐎎𐎚 (mt /māta/).
Displaying a particular kind of inflection, including: Related to, being, or containing the lenis consonant gradation, which resulted from historically closed syllables.
- Antonyms
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More examples (1)
The Finnish verb kääntää (“to translate”) inflects to the singular imperative as käännä, showing the weak gradation nt > nn because it historically ended in a consonant which closed the syllable.
Of a form in which the accent tends to shift forwards (to the right, in transcription) or did so ancestrally in Proto-Indo-European, relative to the strong stem (which has the leftmost accent allowed).
Usage- Indo-European-studies
- especially
- of stems or inflected roots
- Antonyms
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More examples (2)
Paradigmatic slots in which the accent and correlating e-grade are positioned further to the left of the word are traditionally termed strong, those with accent and e-grade further to the right, are called weak. In all nouns and verbs which show these alternations, the strong and the weak forms are predictable from the morphological category […].
The PIE zero grade was most often found in weak stems, such as in *mn̥téys (“of thought, from thinking”, genitive/ablative singular of *méntis) and *mn̥yóh₂er (“I am thinking”). Over time it spread to strong stems, i.e. *mń̥tis, by processes of analogy and leveling. The full grade was persistent in the first syllable of reduplicated stative verbs: strong *tetórph₂e (“I am satisfied”), weak *tetr̥pmé (“we all are satisfied”), though for some verbs such as *pí-ph₃-e- (“to drink”) there was an unusual i-grade which may have lacked any distinct weak counterpart.
Of a form in which the accent tends to shift forwards (to the right, in transcription) or did so ancestrally in Proto-Indo-European, relative to the strong stem (which has the leftmost accent allowed). In a grammatical case other than nominative, accusative, vocative or sometimes locative singular.
Usage- Indo-European-studies
- especially
- of nouns and adjectives
- of stems or inflected roots
Of a form in which the accent tends to shift forwards (to the right, in transcription) or did so ancestrally in Proto-Indo-European, relative to the strong stem (which has the leftmost accent allowed). In a conjugation other than singular active forms (regardless of person, tense etc.).
Usage- Indo-European-studies
- especially
- of verbs
- of stems or inflected roots
- Examples
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More examples (1)
All middle forms of Indo-European verbs are traditionally weak. Middle-only verbs can still be compared to hypothetical strong stems, such as weak *ǵn̥h₁-yé- (e.g. *ǵn̥h₁yéto, “(he/she/it) was born”) versus strong *ǵénh₁-ye-.
Lenis, pronounced with less force or less markedness.
That does not ionize completely into anions and cations in a solution.
- Examples
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a weak acid
a weak base
More examples (1)
When we say that an acid is weak, we refer only to its degree of dissociation, not to its degree of corrosiveness; but it is true that those two traits often correlate, though.
One of the four fundamental forces associated with nuclear decay.
Bad or uncool.
Usage- Slang
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This place is weak.
Having a narrow range of logical consequences; narrowly applicable. (Often contrasted with a strong statement which implies it.)
Resulting from, or indicating, lack of judgment, discernment, or firmness; unwise; hence, foolish.
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If evil thence ensue, / She first his weak indulgence will accuse.
Not having power to convince; not supported by force of reason or truth; unsustained.
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The prosecution advanced a weak case.
convinced of his weak arguing
More examples (1)
There are two fundamental theorems of calculus. Both relate differentiation to integration. In most calculus courses, the Second Fundamental Theorem is usually proved first and then used to prove the First Fundamental Theorem. Unfortunately, this results in a First Fundamental Theorem that is weaker than it could be.
Lacking in vigour or expression.
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a weak sentence; a weak style
More examples (1)
It could turn out that An Unexpected Journey is the weakest of this trilogy, the necessary preamble before less-stultifying action and more engaging character development ensue. But, to paraphrase the sweet and stout-hearted Bilbo himself, this adventure won’t just make you late for dinner. It might make you miss breakfast and lunch, too. Only the most dedicated Middle-earthers will find that the hunger pangs are worth it.
Not prevalent or effective, or not felt to be prevalent; not potent; feeble.
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Thy threats have no more strength than her weak prayers.
Tending towards lower prices.
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a weak market; wheat is weak at present
Lacking contrast.
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a weak negative
Adjective
wanting in physical strength
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a weak pillar
overly diluted; thin and insipid
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washy coffee
watery milk
More examples (1)
weak tea
(used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
- Synonyms
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a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable
a weak stress on the second syllable
wanting in moral strength, courage, or will; having the attributes of man as opposed to e.g. divine beings
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I'm only a fallible human
frail humanity
tending downward in price
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a weak market for oil stocks
deficient or lacking in some skill
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he's weak in spelling
lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
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a feeble old woman
her body looked sapless
(used of verbs) having standard (or regular) inflection
not having authority, political strength, or governing power
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a weak president
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
- Synonyms
- Examples
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a faint outline
the wan sun cast faint shadows
More examples (5)
the faint light of a distant candle
weak colors
a faint hissing sound
a faint aroma
a weak pulse
likely to fail under stress or pressure
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the weak link in the chain
deficient in intelligence or mental power
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a weak mind