weak

weak [ wik ] adjective ***

▸ 1 lacking energy

▸ 2 lacking power

▸ 3 easily persuaded

▸ 4 bad in quality

▸ 5 likely to break/fail

▸ 6 with a lot of water

▸ 7 lacking strength

▸ 8 in linguistics

1. ) part of your body that is weak is not as strong or healthy as it should be:

Weak stomach muscles can lead to back problems.

He has always had a weak heart.

a ) a person who is weak does not have much physical strength or energy:

The illness had left him too weak to speak.

b ) weak in the knees affected by a strong emotion and unable to do anything

2. ) lacking power or influence:

His position in the company is very weak.

We are in a weak bargaining position.

a ) a weak leader or government does not have enough political power or ability to rule successfully

3. ) a weak person is one who does not have much determination and can be easily persuaded to do something they do not want to do:

I was feeling weak and agreed to go.

He had a weak character, but not an evil one.

4. ) bad in quality:

They can always improve by working on their weak points.

weak on: The report was criticized for being weak on detail.

a ) a weak player, performer, etc. is one who is not good at playing, performing, etc.:

If you are a weak speller, someone should check the letter.

5. ) a weak building, bridge, or other structure is one that is likely to break under a lot of pressure:

The floorboards are weak in some places.

a weak gravitational field

a ) a weak argument or idea is one that you can easily criticize or prove to be wrong:

The case is weak because it is based on the very little real evidence.

He gave a very weak excuse for not being on time.

on weak ground: They were on weak ground, with no precedents for their action.

weak point/spot: They exploited the weak points in their opponents' defenses.

b ) a weak feeling or attitude is one that you are not certain about, and might easily lose:

His faith in his family had become weak over the years.

c ) a weak economy or CURRENCY (=money of a country) is one that does not have as much value as a strong one:

weak against: The pound grew weaker against the dollar.

6. ) a weak liquid contains a lot of water and not much of a substance that gives it taste or strength:

She makes the tea too weak.

a weak solution of hydrochloric acid

7. ) a weak light, heat, etc. is one that you cannot easily see, hear, or feel:

He had only a weak light to work by.

a ) a weak action or movement is one that you do not easily notice:

She gave me a weak smile and a little wave.

b ) a weak part of a person's face is one that is small and suggests a poor character:

weak features

a weak chin

8. ) LINGUISTICS a weak word, or a weak part of a word, is not emphasized when you say the word

a ) a weak verb forms the past tenses in a regular way. Weak verbs in English do this by adding -ed, -d, or -t to the infinitive.

─ opposite STRONG

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