weakling
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of weakling
Explanation
Someone who is either frail or cowardly can be called a weakling. When you're new to rock climbing, you may feel like a total weakling as you attempt to haul yourself up a steep, rocky incline. Weaklings are people or animals who are weak, either in a physical or mental way. In a litter of piglets, the tiny runt is a weakling, struggling to get enough food to survive alongside its stronger litter mates. Weakling can also be a derogatory way to refer to a person who lacks physical strength or is easily intimidated: "Don't be a weakling — defend yourself against that mean gossip!"
Vocabulary lists containing weakling
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Former Big Ten weakling Indiana defied all conventional wisdom to become the nation’s only undefeated team and claim its first-ever No. 1 ranking.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
My mother was the weakling; my father was the smartest person in the room.
From Salon • Dec. 31, 2024
The U.S. economy is not a 90-pound weakling when it comes to manufacturing muscle.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 26, 2023
If other dimensions exist, however, gravity may not be the weakling it seems to us, because some of its force could be leaking into these other strange dimensions.
From Scientific American • Feb. 14, 2023
I tried to say it in a nice way, but it still sounds like I think he's a weakling.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
