weakly

[week-lee]

adjective

weaklier, weakliest 

1. weak or feeble in constitution; not robust; sickly.

adverb

1. in a weak manner.

weakly

/ ˈwiːklɪ /

adjective

1. sickly; feeble

adverb

1. in a weak or feeble manner

Other Word Forms

• weakliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of weakly¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, weakly is from the Middle English word weekely. See weak, -ly

Synonym Study

See weak.

Example Sentences

In most saltwater species, vibrations reach the inner ear only weakly, which limits hearing to low frequencies below about 200 Hertz.

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"I feel pain in my head and my legs," he says weakly.

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“The Lowdown” tames Lee’s mania for his cause through the barely obscured current of hangdog defeat weakly powering his personal life.

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When she weakly advises him to tuck in the shirt a little more, he snarls through a clenched jaw, “It’s tucked into my socks!”

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Percy smiles back weakly, resigned to the wait.

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