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

For Jonathan Tropper, the creator, showrunner and executive producer of the Apple TV series, the moment reveals “a vulnerability, a weakness in the armor” for Coop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

They need to address the root causes of yen weakness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Food prices are likely to remain the main source of volatility as El Nino conditions strengthen, while sustained rupiah weakness could gradually feed into imported inflation, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Famed for his explosive launch and metronomic high pace on stages, he is not showing any signs of fatigue or weakness.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

She was taking advantage of Charlotte’s one great weakness.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

These systems, Kamakoti says, rely on "red teaming" - teams that constantly probe systems for weaknesses - and "air-gapped" networks physically isolated from the internet.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Or it could be worry that comes from helping the children understand a plan designed to protect them from their weaknesses requires a discussion of those imperfections.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Maneuver warfare hinges on the ability to exploit an adversary’s weaknesses through principles like speed, agility, reach, and decisive mass,” Anduril said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

This isn’t a unique insight; lawmakers of both parties have flagged those weaknesses for years.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

Chet liked to think his father wasn’t afraid of anything, but he knew that everyone had their weaknesses.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

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