weakness

American  

[week-nis] / ˈwik nɪs /

noun

• weaknesses
  plural

1. the state or quality of being weak; lack of strength, firmness, vigor, or the like; feebleness.

   Synonyms:

   fragility

   Antonyms:

   strength

2. an inadequate or defective quality, as in a person's character; slight fault or defect.

   to show great sympathy for human weaknesses.

   Synonyms:

   flaw

3. a self-indulgent liking or special fondness, as for a particular thing.

   I've always had a weakness for the opera.

   Synonyms:

   appetite, hunger, passion, penchant

4. an object of special desire; something very difficult to resist.

   Chocolates were her weakness.

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weakness British  

/ ˈwiːknɪs /

noun

1. the state or quality of being weak

2. a deficiency or failing, as in a person's character

3. a self-indulgent fondness or liking

   a weakness for chocolates

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weakness Idioms  

1. see have a weakness for.

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Synonym Usage

See fault.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonweakness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• weaknesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of weakness

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English waikenes, weikenes. See weak, -ness

Explanation

The point where something fails to work properly or to hold up is its weakness. If a building crumbles in a storm, it's probably because of a weakness — a flaw or defect — in its structure. Weakness can indicate a physical weakness, like a chair with one wobbly leg, or flaw in an idea, like a plan for a lemonade stand that doesn't include any cups for serving the lemonade. People can show weakness too, when they are helpless to take action. The origin of weakness can be traced all the way back to its Proto-Indo-European root of weik, "to bend."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weakness weaknesses

This dollar weakness would also cheapen foreign-exchange hedging costs, they believed, allowing foreign investors concerned about the U.S. dollar’s long-run status to bolster their foreign-exchange hedges, which in turn would amplify the buck’s weakness.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

"It's a weakness in the system and action needs to be taken now to tighten up controls," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease that causes the protective covering of nerves to breakdown, which can lead to numbness, weakness, trouble walking, vision changes and other symptoms, per the Mayo Clinic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Mr. Xi also needs the U.S. market for his exports given the weakness in China’s domestic economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The young king, determined then to betray no sign of weakness before the Prince of Demons, gritted his teeth and walked on.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Cougars lost to Paracelete, which should help fix some weaknesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

A former chief AI officer at Microsoft’s business application group, she said that deploying AI without updating older systems is problematic, given that AI amplifies strengths and weaknesses in a system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

To address those weaknesses, the framework recommends drawing on a much broader range of information.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Beyond weaknesses in investigations, the report also highlights gaps in how forces respond to the public, including delays in handling emergency and non-emergency calls, and in response times to incidents.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Also, she was mistress of a technique which is the basis of good wrestling—that of letting your opponent do the heavy work toward his own defeat, or of guiding his strength toward his weaknesses.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• deficiency
• failing
• flaw
• fragility
• frailty
• gap
• instability
• lack
• lapse
• shortcoming
• vulnerability