1. not strong or fit: not physically fit or mentally strong
2. easily defeated: easily overcome or defeated
3. lacking strength of character: not having strength of character
4. not intense: not powerful or intense weak winter sunshine
5. lacking skills or abilities: not having particular skills or abilities weak in math
6. watery or tasteless: watery or lacking flavor weak coffee
7. not working to full capacity: not working as well as usual or desirable
8. unconvincing: not persuasive or convincing a weak excuse
9. not strong politically: not politically strong or powerful a weak country
10. poetry unstressed: describes a syllable or word that is not stressed or accented
11. poetry having accent on unstressed syllable: describes verse that has the accent on a syllable that is usually unstressed
12. grammar characterized by regular inflectional endings: describes a verb whose forms are characterized by regular inflectional endings, not by vowel changes
13. finance characterized by falling prices: falling in price, or characterized by falling prices a weak market
[13th century. < Old Norse veikr "pliant" < Germanic]
Spelling Note
weak or week? Do not confuse the spelling of weak and week, which sound similar. Weak is an adjective meaning "not strong," as in weak legs, weak tea, a weak argument. Week is a noun denoting a period of seven days, as in three weeks ago.
weak not physically fit or mentally strong;
He felt too weak to climb the stairs. He's a weak man who can't resist the chance of what seems like easy money. feeble lacking physical or mental strength or health;
Her father grew bent and feeble, but still walked his dog every day. feeble, incompetent people who were easily persuaded by her promises frail in a physically weakened state and vulnerable to injury;
a slight old man with the light, frail bones of a child He looked frail but happy as he descended the hospital steps. infirm lacking strength and vitality, especially because of sickness or age;
elderly and infirm people Their aunt was becoming increasingly infirm and was unable to visit them this year. debilitated with reduced strength or energy as a result of illness or physical exertion;
feeling thoroughly debilitated after his surgery Rescuers found the pair in a half-frozen and debilitated condition. decrepit (informal) with strength lessened by the effects of age;
The president wasn't always the decrepit old man of his last years in office. enervated weakened or exhausted physically, mentally, or morally;
The intense heat made us feel faint and enervated. She's been enervated by her long ordeal.
