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Weak

9 dictionary results for: Weak

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

weak

[week] Pronunciation Key

–adjective, -er, -est.

1.	not strong; liable to yield, break, or collapse under pressure or strain; fragile; frail: a weak fortress; a weak spot in armor.

2.	lacking in bodily strength or healthy vigor, as from age or sickness; feeble; infirm: a weak old man; weak eyes.

3.	not having much political strength, governing power, or authority: a weak nation; a weak ruler.

4.	lacking in force, potency, or efficacy; impotent, ineffectual, or inadequate: weak sunlight; a weak wind.

5.	lacking in rhetorical or creative force or effectiveness: a weak reply to the charges; one of the author's weakest novels.

6.	lacking in logical or legal force or soundness: a weak argument.

7.	deficient in mental power, intelligence, or judgment: a weak mind.

8.	not having much moral strength or firmness, resolution, or force of character: to prove weak under temptation; weak compliance.

9.	deficient in amount, volume, loudness, intensity, etc.; faint; slight: a weak current of electricity; a weak pulse.

10.	deficient, lacking, or poor in something specified: a hand weak in trumps; I'm weak in spelling.

11.	deficient in the essential or usual properties or ingredients: weak tea.

12.	unstressed, as a syllable, vowel, or word.

13.	(of Germanic verbs) inflected with suffixes, without inherited change of the root vowel, as English work, worked, or having a preterit ending in a dental, as English bring, brought.

14.	(of Germanic nouns and adjectives) inflected with endings originally appropriate to stems terminating in -n, as the adjective alte in German der alte Mann (“the old man”).

15.	(of wheat or flour) having a low gluten content or having a poor quality of gluten.

16.	Photography. thin; not dense.

17.	Commerce. characterized by a decline in prices: The market was weak in the morning but rallied in the afternoon.

[Origin: 1250–1300; ME weik < ON veikr; c. OE wāc, D week, G weich; akin to OE wīcan to yield, give way, ON vīkja to move, turn, draw back, G weichen to yield

]

—Synonyms 1. breakable, delicate. 2. senile, sickly, unwell, invalid. Weak, decrepit, feeble, weakly imply a lack of strength or of good health. Weak means not physically strong, because of extreme youth, old age, illness, etc.: weak after an attack of fever. Decrepit means old and broken in health to a marked degree: decrepit and barely able to walk. Feeble denotes much the same as weak, but connotes being pitiable or inferior: feeble and almost senile. Weakly suggests a long-standing sickly condition, a state of chronic bad health: A weakly child may become a strong adult. 4. ineffective. 6. unsound, ineffective, inadequate, illogical, inconclusive, unsustained, unsatisfactory, lame, vague. 7. unintelligent, simple, foolish, stupid, senseless, silly. 8. vacillating, wavering, unstable, irresolute, fluctuating, undecided, weak-kneed. 9. slender, slim, inconsiderable, flimsy, poor, trifling, trivial. 11. wanting, short, lacking.

—Antonyms 1. strong.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

weak (wēk) Pronunciation Key
adj. weak·er, weak·est

Lacking physical strength, energy, or vigor; feeble.
Likely to fail under pressure, stress, or strain; lacking resistance: a weak link in a chain.
Lacking firmness of character or strength of will.
Lacking the proper strength or amount of ingredients: weak coffee.
Lacking the ability to function normally or fully: a weak heart.
Lacking aptitude or skill: a weak student; weak in math.
Lacking or resulting from a lack of intelligence.
Lacking persuasiveness; unconvincing: a weak argument.
Lacking authority or the power to govern.
Lacking potency or intensity: weak sunlight.
Linguistics
1. Of, relating to, or being those verbs in Germanic languages that form a past tense and past participle by means of a dental suffix, as start, started; have, had; bring, brought.
2. Of, relating to, or being the inflection of nouns or adjectives in Germanic languages with a declensional suffix that historically contained an n.
Unstressed or unaccented in pronunciation or poetic meter. Used of a word or syllable.
Designating a verse ending in which the metrical stress falls on a word or syllable that is unstressed in normal speech, such as a preposition.
Tending downward in price: a weak market for oil stocks.

[Middle English weike, from Old Norse veikr, pliant; see weik-² in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: These adjectives mean lacking or showing a lack of strength. Weak is the most widely applicable: "These poor wretches ... were so weak they could hardly sit to their oars" (Daniel Defoe).
Feeble suggests pathetic or grievous physical or mental weakness or hopeless inadequacy: a feeble intellect; a feeble effort.
Frail implies delicacy and inability to endure or withstand: "an aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small" (Thomas Hardy.)
What is fragile is easily broken, damaged, or destroyed: a fragile, expensive vase; a fragile state of mind after the accident.
Infirm implies enfeeblement: "a poor, infirm, weak, and despis'd old man" (Shakespeare).
Decrepit describes what is weakened, worn out, or broken down by hard use or the passage of time: a decrepit building slated for demolition.
Debilitated suggests a gradual impairment of energy or strength: a debilitated constitution further weakened by overwork.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
weak

c.1300, from O.N. veikr "weak," cognate with O.E. wac "weak, pliant, soft," from P.Gmc. *waikwaz "yield," *wikanan "bend" (cf. O.S. wek, Swed. vek, M.Du. weec, Du. week "weak, soft, tender," O.H.G. weih "yielding, soft," Ger. weich "soft," from PIE base *weik- "to bend, wind" (see vicarious). Sense of "lacking authority" is first recorded 1423; that of "lacking moral strength" c.1375. Weaken (v.) is recorded from 1530; the earlier verb was simply weak (c.1374). Weak-kneed "wanting in resolve" is from 1870.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

weak
adjective
1.	wanting in physical strength; "a weak pillar" [ant: strong]
2.	overly diluted; thin and insipid; "washy coffee"; "watery milk"; "weak tea" [syn: watery]
3.	(used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress; "a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable"; "a weak stress on the second syllable" [syn: unaccented]
4.	wanting in moral strength, courage, or will; having the attributes of man as opposed to e.g. divine beings; "I'm only a fallible human"; "frail humanity" [syn: fallible]
5.	tending downward in price; "a weak market for oil stocks"
6.	deficient or lacking in some skill; "he's weak in spelling"
7.	lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality; "a feeble old woman"; "her body looked sapless" [syn: decrepit]
8.	(used of verbs) having standard (or regular) inflection
9.	not having authority, political strength, or governing power; "a weak president"
10.	deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc; "a faint outline"; "the wan sun cast faint shadows"; "the faint light of a distant candle"; "weak colors"; "a faint hissing sound"; "a faint aroma"; "a weak pulse" [syn: faint]
11.	likely to fail under stress or pressure; "the weak link in the chain"
12.	deficient in intelligence or mental power; "a weak mind"

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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

weak

In addition to the idioms beginning with weak, also see spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Weak

Weak\, a. 1. (Stock Exchange) Tending toward a lower price or lower prices; as, wheat is weak; a weak market.

2. (Card Playing) Lacking in good cards; deficient as to number or strength; as, a hand weak in trumps.

3. (Photog.) Lacking contrast; as, a weak negative.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Weak

Strong\, a. [Compar. Stronger; superl. Strongest.] [AS. strang, strong; akin to D. & G. streng strict, rigorous, OHG. strengi strong, brave, harsh, Icel. strangr strong, severe, Dan. streng, Sw. str["a]ng strict, severe. Cf. Strength, Stretch, String.]

1. Having active physical power, or great physical power to act; having a power of exerting great bodily force; vigorous.

That our oxen may be strong to labor. --Ps. cxliv. 14.

Orses the strong to greater strength must yield. --Dryden.

2. Having passive physical power; having ability to bear or endure; firm; hale; sound; robust; as, a strong constitution; strong health.

3. Solid; tough; not easily broken or injured; able to withstand violence; able to sustain attacks; not easily subdued or taken; as, a strong beam; a strong rock; a strong fortress or town.

4. Having great military or naval force; powerful; as, a strong army or fleet; a nation strong at sea.

5. Having great wealth, means, or resources; as, a strong house, or company of merchants.

6. Reaching a certain degree or limit in respect to strength or numbers; as, an army ten thousand strong.

7. Moving with rapidity or force; violent; forcible; impetuous; as, a strong current of water or wind; the wind was strong from the northeast; a strong tide.

8. Adapted to make a deep or effectual impression on the mind or imagination; striking or superior of the kind; powerful; forcible; cogent; as, a strong argument; strong reasons; strong evidence; a strong example; strong language.

9. Ardent; eager; zealous; earnestly engaged; as, a strong partisan; a strong Whig or Tory.

Her mother, ever strong against that match. --Shak.

10. Having virtues of great efficacy; or, having a particular quality in a great degree; as, a strong powder or tincture; a strong decoction; strong tea or coffee.

11. Full of spirit; containing a large proportion of alcohol; intoxicating; as, strong liquors.

12. Affecting any sense powerfully; as, strong light, colors, etc.; a strong flavor of onions; a strong scent.

13. Solid; nourishing; as, strong meat. --Heb. v. 12.

14. Well established; firm; not easily overthrown or altered; as, a strong custom; a strong belief.

15. Violent; vehement; earnest; ardent.

He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. --Heb. v. 7.

16. Having great force, vigor, power, or the like, as the mind, intellect, or any faculty; as, a man of a strong mind, memory, judgment, or imagination.

I was stronger in prophecy than in criticism. --Dryden.

17. Vigorous; effective; forcible; powerful.

Like her sweet voice is thy harmonious song, As high, as sweet, as easy, and as strong. --E. Smith.

18. (Stock Exchange) Tending to higher prices; rising; as, a strong market.

19. (Gram.) (a) Pertaining to, or designating, a verb which forms its preterit (imperfect) by a variation in the root vowel, and the past participle (usually) by the addition of -en (with or without a change of the root vowel); as in the verbs strive, strove, striven; break, broke, broken; drink, drank, drunk. Opposed to weak, or regular. See Weak. (b) Applied to forms in Anglo-Saxon, etc., which retain the old declensional endings. In the Teutonic languages the vowel stems have held the original endings most firmly, and are called strong; the stems in -n are called weak other constant stems conform, or are irregular. --F. A. March.

Strong conjugation (Gram.), the conjugation of a strong verb; -- called also old, or irregular, conjugation, and distinguished from the weak, or regular, conjugation.

Note: Strong is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, strong-backed, strong-based, strong-bodied, strong-colored, strong-fisted, strong-handed, strong-ribbed, strong-smelling, strong-voiced, etc.

Syn: Vigorous; powerful; stout; solid; firm; hardy; muscular; forcible; cogent; valid. See Robust.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

weak

1. Having active physical power, or great physical power to act; having a power of exerting great bodily force; vigorous.

That our oxen may be strong to labor. --Ps. cxliv. 14.

Orses the strong to greater strength must yield. --Dryden.

2. Having passive physical power; having ability to bear or endure; firm; hale; sound; robust; as, a strong constitution; strong health.

3. Solid; tough; not easily broken or injured; able to withstand violence; able to sustain attacks; not easily subdued or taken; as, a strong beam; a strong rock; a strong fortress or town.

4. Having great military or naval force; powerful; as, a strong army or fleet; a nation strong at sea.

5. Having great wealth, means, or resources; as, a strong house, or company of merchants.

6. Reaching a certain degree or limit in respect to strength or numbers; as, an army ten thousand strong.

7. Moving with rapidity or force; violent; forcible; impetuous; as, a strong current of water or wind; the wind was strong from the northeast; a strong tide.

9. Ardent; eager; zealous; earnestly engaged; as, a strong partisan; a strong Whig or Tory.

Her mother, ever strong against that match. --Shak.

10. Having virtues of great efficacy; or, having a particular quality in a great degree; as, a strong powder or tincture; a strong decoction; strong tea or coffee.

11. Full of spirit; containing a large proportion of alcohol; intoxicating; as, strong liquors.

12. Affecting any sense powerfully; as, strong light, colors, etc.; a strong flavor of onions; a strong scent.

13. Solid; nourishing; as, strong meat. --Heb. v. 12.

14. Well established; firm; not easily overthrown or altered; as, a strong custom; a strong belief.

15. Violent; vehement; earnest; ardent.

He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. --Heb. v. 7.

16. Having great force, vigor, power, or the like, as the mind, intellect, or any faculty; as, a man of a strong mind, memory, judgment, or imagination.

I was stronger in prophecy than in criticism. --Dryden.

17. Vigorous; effective; forcible; powerful.

Like her sweet voice is thy harmonious song, As high, as sweet, as easy, and as strong. --E. Smith.

18. (Stock Exchange) Tending to higher prices; rising; as, a strong market.

Strong conjugation (Gram.), the conjugation of a strong verb; -- called also old, or irregular, conjugation, and distinguished from the weak, or regular, conjugation.

Syn: Vigorous; powerful; stout; solid; firm; hardy; muscular; forcible; cogent; valid. See Robust.

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