INDEX:
1. physically weak
2. not powerful
3. easy to attack or harm
4. to make someone or something weak
5. to become weak
6. when a plant becomes weak
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ STRONG
not brave : ↑ BRAVE/NOT BRAVE
not good at making decisions quickly and firmly : ↑ DECIDE
weak taste : ↑ TASTE (8)
see also
↑ BREAK
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1. physically weak
▷ weak /wiːk/ [adjective]
someone who is weak is not strong enough to lift heavy things or do a lot of physical work, especially because they are ill :
▪ When you have flu, you feel tired and weak for a long time.
▪ The child was too weak to undergo a transplant operation.
▪ I can’t go running - I’ve got a weak heart.
weak from/with
▪ The soldiers were weak from hunger and exhaustion.
▪ She felt weak with emotion at the sight of him.
weakness [uncountable noun]
▪ In spite of his physical weakness Harry kept himself as busy and active as possible.
▷ frail /freɪl/ [adjective]
someone who is frail is thin and weak, especially because they are old :
▪ a frail 85-year-old lady
▪ She sat up a little straighter, raising her frail body in the bed.
frailty [uncountable noun]
▪ We hadn’t seen her for many years and were shocked by her frailty.
▷ feeble /ˈfiːb ə l/ [adjective]
not physically strong because of being very young, old, ill etc, :
▪ My grandmother’s very feeble now and needs someone at home full-time to look after her.
▪ He did not remember his sister at all, except as a tiny, feeble baby.
feebly [adverb]
▪ I watched him as he tried, very slowly and feebly, to get out of bed.
▷ fragile /ˈfrædʒaɪlǁ-dʒ ə l/ [adjective]
someone who is fragile is so weak and delicate that they look as if they could easily be hurt :
▪ The baby felt so fragile in his arms.
▪ Two ambulance attendants picked up his fragile body and put him carefully onto a stretcher.
▷ shaky /ˈʃeɪki/ [adjective]
feeling weak in your legs and only able to walk slowly and unsteadily :
▪ Even after the long months of therapy Owen was still very shaky.
be shaky on your feet
▪ Her grandfather was a little shaky on his feet after the fall.
shaky steps
▪ The baby’s taken her first few shaky steps.
shakily [adverb]
▪ As I entered the room, he reached for his stick and got shakily to his feet.
▷ puny /ˈpjuːni/ [adjective] especially written
a man or boy who is puny is small, thin, and looks very weak :
▪ Pete was a puny little boy with short hair and glasses.
▪ His wife was such a big strong woman, she made him look puny.
▷ weedy /ˈwiːdi/ [adjective] British informal
a man or boy who is weedy is thin and looks weak :
▪ Mouse got his nickname because he was small and weedy.
▷ weakling /ˈwiːklɪŋ/ [countable noun]
someone, especially a boy or young man, who is weak and is not willing to fight or defend himself :
▪ Most of the kids were weaklings and were frightened of getting in a fight.
▷ weed /wiːd/ [countable noun] British informal
someone, especially a boy or young man, who is thin and weak - sometimes used humorously :
▪ Everyone called me a weed when I was at school because I was so bad at sports.
2. not powerful
▷ weak /wiːk/ [adjective]
a weak leader, manager, or government does not have clear ideas about what should be done, and is too easily influenced by other people. A weak country does not have the power to defend itself :
▪ He came across as a weak and indecisive leader.
▪ Weak management led to failure of the business.
▪ In 1949-50 China was a weak, vulnerable country, devastated by war.
weakness [uncountable noun]
▪ The President has often been accused of weakness.
3. easy to attack or harm
▷ vulnerable /ˈvʌln ə rəb ə l/ [adjective]
someone who is vulnerable can easily be harmed or attacked :
▪ a small vulnerable child in need of protection
▪ Wild animals are at their most vulnerable when they are asleep.
vulnerable to
▪ The virus leaves sufferers vulnerable to a range of infections.
▷ defenceless British /defenseless American /dɪˈfensləs/ [adjective]
not strong enough or not able to protect yourself against an attack :
▪ No one is doing anything to help these poor defenceless children.
▪ While the mother bird searches for food she has to leave her chicks alone and defenseless in the nest.
defenceless against
▪ He closed the door behind him, leaving her cruelly defenceless against his bitter attack.
4. to make someone or something weak
▷ weaken /ˈwiːkən/ [transitive verb]
▪ Her long illness has weakened her so much that she has difficulty walking.
▪ The city’s defences had been weakened by enemy shelling.
▷ sap somebody’s strength/energy /ˌsæp somebodyˈs ˈstreŋθ, ˈenəʳdʒi/ [verb phrase]
if something such as too much work or worry saps your strength or energy, it gradually takes away your energy and makes you weaker :
▪ They were travelling very slowly, and the heavy load they were carrying sapped their strength.
▪ The constant tension was sapping my energy.
▷ debilitating /dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪŋ, dɪˈbɪləteɪtɪŋ/ [adjective] written
a debilitating disease or condition makes you physically or mentally weak :
▪ He was still suffering the debilitating effects of flu.
▪ The conditions under which doctors work are increasingly unhealthy and debilitating.
5. to become weak
▷ weaken /ˈwiːkən/ [intransitive verb]
if someone’s power, strength, or determination weakens, it becomes weaker :
▪ By 1945, the country’s power was weakening considerably.
▪ The soldiers’ morale was beginning to weaken.
▷ crumble /ˈkrʌmb ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if your determination, courage etc crumbles, it becomes weak or fails :
▪ Briggs’ resolve crumbled and he reached for the whisky bottle.
6. when a plant becomes weak
▷ wilt /wɪlt/ [intransitive verb]
if a plant or flower wilts, it becomes weak and loses its colour, freshness etc, especially because of heat or lack of water :
▪ Marigolds are a strong breed, less likely to wilt than other plants.
▪ The plant in the corner was wilting, its brilliant yellow petals scattered on the floor.
▷ droop /druːp/ [intransitive verb]
if a plant or flower droops, it starts to hang down, especially because it is not getting enough water, and begins to die :
▪ These flowers are beginning to droop. You’d better water them.
▪ He watered the vines so little that the leaves drooped and the tendrils withered.