weak

weak [wēk]

adj.

[ME waik < ON veikr, akin to OE wac, feeble (which the ON word replaced) < IE * weig-, * weik- (< base * wei-, to bend) > WEEK, WICKER, L vicis, change]

1.

a) lacking in strength of body or muscle; not physically strong

b) lacking vitality; feeble; infirm

2. lacking in skill or strength in combat or competition [a weak team]

3. lacking in moral strength or willpower; yielding easily to temptation, the influence of others, etc.

4. lacking in mental power, or in the ability to think, judge, decide, etc.

5.

a) lacking ruling power, or authority [a weak government]

b) having few resources; relatively low in wealth, numbers, supplies, etc. [the weaker nations]

6. lacking in force or effectiveness [weak discipline]

7.

a) lacking in strength of material or construction; unable to resist strain, pressure, etc.; easily torn, broken, bent, etc. [a weak railing]

b) not sound or secure; unable to stand up to an attack [a weak fortification]

8.

a) not functioning normally or well: said of a body organ or part [weak eyes]

b) easily upset; queasy [a weak stomach]

9. indicating or suggesting moral or physical lack of strength [weak features]

10. lacking in volume, intensity, etc.; faint [a weak voice, a weak current]

11. lacking the usual or proper strength; specif.,

a) having only a small amount of its essential ingredient; diluted [weak tea]

b) not as potent as usual or as others of the kind [a weak drug]

c) lacking, poor, or deficient in something specified [weak in grammar, a baseball team weak in pitchers]

12.

a) ineffective; unconvincing [a weak argument]

b) faulty [weak logic]

13. tending toward lower prices: said of a market, stock, etc.

14. Chem. having a low ion concentration: said as of certain acids and bases

15. Gram. expressing variation in tense by the addition of an inflectional suffix rather than by internal change of a syllabic vowel; regular (Ex.: talk, talked, talked): cf. STRONG, adj. 20

16. Phonet. unstressed or lightly stressed: said of a syllable

17. Photog. THIN (sense 10)

18. Prosody designating or of a verse ending in which the stress falls on a word or syllable that is normally unstressed

weakish

adj.

SYN.- WEAK, the broadest in application of these words, basically implies a lack or inferiority of physical, mental, or moral strength [a weak muscle, mind, character, foundation, excuse, etc. ]; FEEBLE suggests a pitiable weakness or ineffectiveness [a feeble old man, a feeble joke ]; FRAIL¹ suggests an inherent or constitutional delicacy or weakness, so as to be easily broken or shattered [a frail body, conscience, etc. ]; INFIRM suggests a loss of strength or soundness, as through illness or age [his infirm old grandfather ]; DECREPIT implies a being broken down, worn out, or decayed, as by old age or long use [a decrepit old pensioner, a decrepit sofa ] -ANT. STRONG, STURDY¹, ROBUST