weakly
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
adverb
Synonym Usage
See weak.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of weakly
First recorded in 1350–1400, weakly is from the Middle English word weekely. See weak, -ly
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.
“If dads had higher prenatal cortisol and partners were more weakly linked, toddlers did worse on the executive functioning task, perhaps because the dads were less attuned to their partners and less primed to parent.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
The article portrays California’s 2026 governor’s race as unusually unsettled and “confounding,” with many voters either undecided or only weakly committed to a choice, even as the primary enters its final weeks.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
My bargaining with the moral universe is that I still listen to “Off the Wall,” weakly reasoning that it came out before Jackson launched his Peter Pan act.
From Salon • May 14, 2026
When the match resumed, brawls were still going on in the stands and Morocco’s Brahim Diaz failed to score with a weakly hit penalty kick.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
The younger version of Tyran groans and weakly gets to his knees.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
