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WEAKNESS
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain
Example:
the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):
property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "weakness"):
littleness; smallness (the property of having relatively little strength or vigor)
adynamia (lack of strength or vigor (especially from illness))
feebleness; tenuity (the quality of lacking intensity or substance)
faintness (the property of being without strength)
flimsiness; shoddiness (the property of weakness by virtue of careless construction)
delicacy; fragility (lack of physical strength)
insubstantiality (lack of solid substance and strength)
attenuation (the property of something that has been weakened or reduced in thickness or density)
enervation (lack of vitality)
fatigability (susceptibility to fatigue; a tendency to get tired or lose strength)
inanition; lassitude; lethargy; slackness (weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy)
soft spot; weak part; weak spot (a place of especial vulnerability)
vulnerability (susceptibility to injury or attack)
Antonym:
strength (the property of being physically or mentally strong)
Derivation:
weak (lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality)
weak (wanting in physical strength)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Powerlessness revealed by an inability to act
Example:
in spite of their weakness the group remains active
Synonyms:
helplessness; impuissance; weakness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):
impotence; impotency; powerlessness (the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble)
Derivation:
weak (not having authority, political strength, or governing power)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A penchant for something even though it might not be good for you
Example:
he has a weakness for chocolate
Classified under:
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions
Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):
penchant; predilection; preference; taste (a strong liking)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A flaw or weak point
Example:
he was quick to point out his wife's failings
Synonyms:
failing; weakness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):
imperfection; imperfectness (the state or an instance of being imperfect)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "weakness"):
inadequacy; insufficiency (a lack of competence)
fatigue (used of materials (especially metals) in a weakened state caused by long stress)
flaw (defect or weakness in a person's character)
Derivation:
weak (likely to fail under stress or pressure)
Sense 5
Meaning:
The condition of being financially weak
Example:
the weakness of the dollar against the yen
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):
bad luck; ill luck; misfortune; tough luck (an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes)
Antonym:
strength (the condition of financial success)
Derivation:
weak (tending downward in price)
Context examples:
This is what happens in muscle diseases characterized by a weakness that makes certain movements difficult.
(Researchers Discovered Proteins Essential to Development of Skeletal Muscle, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Reports of side effects were low and included fatigue, weakness, and headache.
(Health Effects of a Diet that Mimics Fasting, NIH)
A sign or symptom of weakness and diminished or absent energy and strength.
(Asthenia, NCI Thesaurus)
“My, it’s exciting!” she cried, pausing from sheer weakness. “I think I’ll sit down.”
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
It results in severe pain in the upper extremity and shoulder, upper arm weakness and loss of sensation in the upper arm.
(Brachial Plexus Neuritis, NCI Thesaurus)
In his weakness, what if the animal attacked him?
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
An X-linked inherited disorder characterized by slowly progressing weakness in the muscles of the legs and pelvis.
(Becker's Muscular Dystrophy, NCI Thesaurus)
But I lost her when I was a little older than you are, and for years had to struggle on alone, for I was too proud to confess my weakness to anyone else.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Her power was sinking; everything must sink under such a proof of family weakness, such an assurance of the deepest disgrace.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
“If there was a weakness it was in the chin,” said Alleyne.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
