flaccid

[flak-sid, flas-id]

adjective

1. soft and limp; not firm; flabby.

   flaccid biceps.

2. lacking force; weak.

   flaccid prose.

flaccid

/ ˈflæs-, ˈflæksɪd /

adjective

1. lacking firmness; soft and limp; flabby

Other Word Forms

• flaccidly adverb
• flaccidity noun
• flaccidness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of flaccid¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin flaccidus “flabby, drooping,” equivalent to flacc(ēre) “to grow weak, languish” + -idus -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of flaccid¹

C17: from Latin flaccidus , from flaccus

Example Sentences

Or her flaccid, C.Y.A. apology — published in The Hollywood Reporter, no less — that she managed to make all about her.

From Salon

As a critic, I don’t usually have to pay for theater tickets, but I got a taste of the ludicrousness when charged $500 to see Washington and Gyllenhaal in a flaccid revival of “Othello.”

From Los Angeles Times

You may unfortunately remember the era through the parts that quickly calcified into cliché: $14 cocktails in Mason jars, the monoculture of pork belly, a nationwide proliferation of flaccid fried green tomatoes.

From Salon

That may be why the majority of Disney’s modern “Star Wars” expansions have amounted to little more than flaccid fan service.

From Salon

So when it comes to asparagus, it's most certainly not my favorite when cooked — especially those woodsy, thick stems, which often remain flaccid even after roasting, yet still fibrous and overtly chewy.

From Salon