Standard Lemma guide

weakness

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwiːk.nɪs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwiːk.nəs/
  • General-American: /ˈwik.nɪs/
  • General-American: /ˈwik.nəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈwiːk.nɪs/
  • Australian: [ˈwɪiːk.nɪs]
  • Australian: [ˈwɪ̈iːk.nɪs]
  • CMU ARPABET: W IY1 K N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The condition of being weak.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: debility, frailty, vulnerability; vincibility
  • In a small number of horses, muscle weakness may progress to paralysis.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: debility, frailty, vulnerability, vincibility

Antonyms: strength, power, powerfulness, invulnerability, invincibility

2

noun

Meaning 2

An inadequate quality; fault.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • His inability to speak in front of an audience was his weakness.
  • The only weakness in her plan was its reliance on the electricity being up and running.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: defect, flaw, hole

Antonyms: strength, forte

3

noun

Meaning 3

A special fondness or obsessing desire.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • She is an athlete who has a weakness for chocolate.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soft spot

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his weakness increased as he became older
  • the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: strength

Broader terms: property

Narrower terms: smallness, littleness, adynamia, feebleness, tenuity, faintness, flimsiness, shoddiness, fragility, delicacy, insubstantiality, attenuation, enervation, fatigability, inanition, lassitude, lethargy, slackness, weak part, weak spot, soft spot, vulnerability

5

noun

Meaning 5

powerlessness revealed by an inability to act

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • in spite of their weakness the group remains active

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: helplessness, impuissance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: powerlessness, impotence, impotency

6

noun

Meaning 6

a penchant for something even though it might not be good for you

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he has a weakness for chocolate

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: preference, penchant, predilection, taste

7

noun

Meaning 7

a flaw or weak point

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was quick to point out his wife's failings

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: failing

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: imperfection, imperfectness

Narrower terms: insufficiency, inadequacy, fatigue, flaw

8

noun

Meaning 8

the condition of being financially weak

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the weakness of the dollar against the yen

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: strength

Broader terms: misfortune, bad luck, tough luck, ill luck

History

Etymology

From Middle English wayknesse, weykenesse, replacing earlier Middle English wocnesse, wakenes, wacnesse (“weakness”), from Old English wācnes (“weakness”). Equivalent to weak + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

167 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ضَعْف (ḍaʕf) — condition of being weak
  • Arabic: ضعف (ḍuʕf) — condition of being weak
  • Asturian: debilidá — condition of being weak
  • Azerbaijani: zəiflik — condition of being weak
  • Belarusian: сла́басць (slábascʹ) — condition of being weak
  • Bulgarian: сла́бост (slábost) — condition of being weak
  • Catalan: debilitat — condition of being weak
  • Catalan: feblesa — condition of being weak
  • Cebuano: kahuyang — condition of being weak
  • Chinese Mandarin: 虛弱 /虚弱 (xūruò) — condition of being weak
  • Chinese Mandarin: 軟弱 /软弱 (ruǎnruò) — condition of being weak
  • Chinese Mandarin: 薄弱 (bóruò) — condition of being weak
  • Czech: slabost — condition of being weak
  • Danish: svaghed — condition of being weak
  • Dutch: zwakte — condition of being weak
  • Esperanto: malforto — condition of being weak
  • Esperanto: malforteco — condition of being weak
  • Finnish: heikkous — condition of being weak
  • Finnish: voimattomuus — condition of being weak
  • French: faiblesse — condition of being weak
  • Galician: debilidade — condition of being weak
  • Galician: fraqueza — condition of being weak
  • Georgian: სისუსტე (sisusṭe) — condition of being weak
  • Georgian: უღონობა (uɣonoba) — condition of being weak
  • Georgian: უძლურება (uʒlureba) — condition of being weak
  • Georgian: უსუსურობა (ususuroba) — condition of being weak
  • Georgian: უნიათობა (uniatoba) — condition of being weak
  • German: Schwäche — condition of being weak
  • Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌹 (unhaili) — condition of being weak
  • Greek: αδυναμία (adynamía) — condition of being weak
  • Ancient Greek: ἀσθένεια (asthéneia) — condition of being weak
  • Ancient Greek: πονηρία (ponēría) — condition of being weak
  • Hebrew: חולשה (khulshá) — condition of being weak
  • Hindi: निर्बलता (nirbaltā) — condition of being weak
  • Hindi: दुर्बलता (durbaltā) — condition of being weak
  • Hindi: अक्षमता (akṣamtā) — condition of being weak
  • Hindi: शिथिलता (śithiltā) — condition of being weak
  • Hungarian: gyengeség — condition of being weak
  • Ingrian: slaabosti — condition of being weak
  • Interlingua: debilitate — condition of being weak
  • Irish: anacmhainn — condition of being weak
  • Irish: aimhneart — condition of being weak
  • Irish: anbhainne — condition of being weak
  • Irish: cloíteacht — condition of being weak
  • Irish: éadaingne — condition of being weak
  • Irish: éagruas — condition of being weak
  • Irish: fainne — condition of being weak
  • Irish: lag — condition of being weak
  • Irish: lagachar — condition of being weak
  • Irish: lagar — condition of being weak
  • Irish: lagbhrí — condition of being weak
  • Irish: laige — condition of being weak
  • Irish: léiriú — condition of being weak
  • Irish: lobhra — condition of being weak
  • Irish: meirbhe — condition of being weak
  • Irish: meirfean — condition of being weak
  • Irish: meirtne — condition of being weak
  • Irish: taise — condition of being weak
  • Irish: time — condition of being weak
  • Irish: tláithe — condition of being weak
  • Irish: tlás — condition of being weak
  • Irish: tréithe — condition of being weak
  • Italian: debolezza — condition of being weak
  • Italian: cagionevolezza — condition of being weak
  • Italian: fievolezza — condition of being weak
  • Japanese: 弱さ (yowasa) — condition of being weak
  • Japanese: 弱小 (jakushō) — condition of being weak
  • Japanese: 脆弱 (zeijaku) — condition of being weak
  • Korean: 약함 (yakham) — condition of being weak
  • Latin: infirmitās — condition of being weak
  • Latin: debilitās — condition of being weak
  • Macedonian: слабост (slabost) — condition of being weak
  • Malayalam: ബലഹീനത (balahīnata) — condition of being weak
  • Malayalam: ദുർബലത (duṟbalata) — condition of being weak
  • Malayalam: ക്ഷീണം (kṣīṇaṁ) — condition of being weak
  • Māori: hārorerore — condition of being weak
  • Māori: māruru — condition of being weak
  • Māori: kahakoretanga — condition of being weak
  • Norwegian Bokmål: svakhet — condition of being weak
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: svakheit — condition of being weak
  • Occitan: debilitat — condition of being weak
  • Occitan: feblesa — condition of being weak
  • Church Slavic: слабость (slabostĭ) — condition of being weak
  • Old East Slavic: слабость (slabostĭ) — condition of being weak
  • Old English: untrumnes — condition of being weak
  • Polish: słabość — condition of being weak
  • Portuguese: fraqueza — condition of being weak
  • Russian: сла́бость (slábostʹ) — condition of being weak
  • Serbo-Croatian: слабост — condition of being weak
  • Serbo-Croatian: slabost — condition of being weak
  • Slovak: slabosť — condition of being weak
  • Slovene: šibkost — condition of being weak
  • Spanish: debilidad — condition of being weak
  • Spanish: flaqueza — condition of being weak
  • Swahili: ajizi — condition of being weak
  • Swedish: svaghet — condition of being weak
  • Tagalog: kahinaan — condition of being weak
  • Thai: ความอ่อนแอ (kwaam òn ae) — condition of being weak
  • Turkish: sıskalık — condition of being weak
  • Turkish: zayıflık — condition of being weak
  • Turkish: argınlık — condition of being weak
  • Turkish: çelimsizlik — condition of being weak
  • Ottoman Turkish: درمانسزلق (dermansızlık) — condition of being weak
  • Ottoman Turkish: ضعیفلق (zaʼiflık) — condition of being weak
  • Ukrainian: сла́бість (slábistʹ) — condition of being weak
  • Ukrainian: сла́бкість (slábkistʹ) — condition of being weak
  • Walloon: flåwté — condition of being weak
  • Walloon: flåwisté — condition of being weak
  • Walloon: fweblesse — condition of being weak
  • Welsh: gwendid — condition of being weak
  • Asturian: debilidá — fault
  • Belarusian: недахо́п (njedaxóp) — fault
  • Belarusian: недахва́т (njedaxvát) — fault
  • Bulgarian: недостатък (nedostatǎk) — fault
  • Catalan: debilitat — fault
  • Catalan: feblesa — fault
  • Czech: slabina — fault
  • Finnish: heikkous — fault
  • French: faiblesse — fault
  • French: point faible — fault
  • Old French: feblece — fault
  • Hindi: खोट (khoṭ) — fault
  • Interlingua: debilitate — fault
  • Irish: éalang — fault
  • Irish: fágáil — fault
  • Italian: debolezza — fault
  • Italian: punto debole — fault
  • Italian: tallone di Achille — fault
  • Japanese: 弱点 (jakuten) — fault
  • Japanese: 弱み (yowami) — fault
  • Japanese: 泣き所 (nakidokoro) — fault
  • Korean: 약점 (yakjeom) — fault
  • Latin: infirmitas — fault
  • Malay: kelemahan — fault
  • Malayalam: ബലഹീനത (balahīnata) — fault
  • Malayalam: ദുർബലത (duṟbalata) — fault
  • Māori: takarepa — fault
  • Old English: untrumnes — fault
  • Portuguese: ponto fraco — fault
  • Portuguese: fraqueza — fault
  • Russian: недоста́ток (nedostátok) — fault
  • Slovene: slabost — fault
  • Spanish: punto débil — fault
  • Thai: จุดอ่อน — fault
  • Bulgarian: сла́бост (slábost) — special fondness
  • Catalan: debilitat — special fondness
  • Catalan: feblesa — special fondness
  • Czech: slabost — special fondness
  • Dutch: zwak — special fondness
  • Finnish: heikkous — special fondness
  • French: faible — special fondness
  • German: Schwäche — special fondness
  • German: Faible — special fondness
  • Italian: debole — special fondness
  • Italian: debolezza — special fondness
  • Japanese: 弱み (yowami) — special fondness
  • Latin: infirmitas — special fondness
  • Norwegian Bokmål: svakhet — special fondness
  • Polish: słabość — special fondness
  • Portuguese: queda — special fondness
  • Portuguese: fraco — special fondness
  • Romanian: feblețe — special fondness
  • Russian: сла́бость (slábostʹ) — special fondness
  • Spanish: debilidad por — special fondness
  • Spanish: cariño — special fondness
  • Swedish: svaghet — special fondness
  • Swedish: fäbless — special fondness
Real reading context

weakness in complete knowledge articles

Danmyé History & culture · Challenging · 3 uses