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

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Etymology

Origin of weakness

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

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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

If England do pick a spinner, it will give them a chance to expose one weakness in South Africa's batting order.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Despite a round of antivirals, the flare turned into the painful condition Bell’s palsy, a complication that causes muscle weakness and drooping, often in one side of the face.

From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026

This weakness meant that the original algorithm's mathematical guarantee applied only when the points were sufficiently far apart.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Denmark’s Carlsberg said Thursday that its own beer volumes slid over the most recent quarter, hit by a tough Chinese market, as well as weakness in Western Europe, but that soft-drinks sales saw rapid growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The microscopic focus on each thing Izzy did, turning it this way and that, scrutinizing it for signs of weakness or disaster.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

A U.N. official says Arab economies must invest more in productive sectors after the war in Iran exposed structural weaknesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick believed his side were ready for the challenge of Real, but admitted they must address defensive weaknesses exposed by PSG in midweek.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

The weaknesses found in the PHP programming language, which is used by millions of websites, had been quietly resting there for years and are not easy to exploit.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

PHP sits underneath popular web design platforms, so the weaknesses potentially affect a vast range of websites, from online stores and news outlets to government services.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

When you are circling your opponent, probing his strengths and weaknesses, you are not thinking about his color or social status.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

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

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