weakling
Americannoun
-
weaklings
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
“Yale will be regarded either as a beacon and a fighter for academic freedom or as the weakling who succumbed and obeyed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Frankly, the dorky version of Adam is more fun than the heroic He-Man, even with Knight hammering us every minute to laugh that he’s a total weakling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
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
"And weakling or not, he fought that cliff gallantly, Val the miller. He fought it to exhaustion."
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Planning is for weaklings, rational analysis is disdained, the amygdala and the gut replace the cerebral cortex.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026
Notre Dame should be thrilled that they keep a decent program on their menu of weaklings, and USC should be thrilled that they maintain the tradition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2025
"You are weaklings who fight civilians," Mr Zelensky, who was born in Kryvyi Rih, said in his late night address on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2022
He’s 0-3 against rival Iowa and a combined 3-4 against Big Ten West weaklings Purdue and Illinois.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2021
All these so-called rough characters melted into ninety-seven-pound weaklings when confronted by Archie and The Vigils.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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.
