WEAKNESS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does weakness mean? 

• WEAKNESS (noun)
  The noun WEAKNESS has 5 senses:

1. a flaw or weak point

2. powerlessness revealed by an inability to act

3. the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain

4. the condition of being financially weak

5. a penchant for something even though it might not be good for you

  Familiarity information: WEAKNESS used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WEAKNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A flaw or weak point

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

failing; weakness

Context example:

he was quick to point out his wife's failings

Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):

imperfection; imperfectness (the state or an instance of being imperfect)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "weakness"):

inadequacy; insufficiency (a lack of competence)

fatigue (used of materials (especially metals) in a weakened state caused by long stress)

flaw (defect or weakness in a person's character)

Derivation:

weak (likely to fail under stress or pressure)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Powerlessness revealed by an inability to act

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

helplessness; impuissance; weakness

Context example:

in spite of their weakness the group remains active

Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):

impotence; impotency; powerlessness (the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble)

Derivation:

weak (not having authority, political strength, or governing power)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed

Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):

property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "weakness"):

littleness; smallness (the property of having relatively little strength or vigor)

adynamia (lack of strength or vigor (especially from illness))

feebleness; tenuity (the quality of lacking intensity or substance)

faintness (the property of being without strength)

flimsiness; shoddiness (the property of weakness by virtue of careless construction)

delicacy; fragility (lack of physical strength)

insubstantiality (lack of solid substance and strength)

attenuation (the property of something that has been weakened or reduced in thickness or density)

enervation (lack of vitality)

fatigability (susceptibility to fatigue; a tendency to get tired or lose strength)

inanition; lassitude; lethargy; slackness (weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy)

soft spot; weak part; weak spot (a place of especial vulnerability)

vulnerability (susceptibility to injury or attack)

Antonym:

strength (the property of being physically or mentally strong)

Derivation:

weak (lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality)

weak (wanting in physical strength)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The condition of being financially weak

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

the weakness of the dollar against the yen

Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):

bad luck; ill luck; misfortune; tough luck (an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes)

Antonym:

strength (the condition of financial success)

Derivation:

weak (tending downward in price)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A penchant for something even though it might not be good for you

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Context example:

he has a weakness for chocolate

Hypernyms ("weakness" is a kind of...):

penchant; predilection; preference; taste (a strong liking)

 Context examples 

If I betray weakness, you will know how to excuse me.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

They all cause muscle weakness and muscle loss.

(Muscular Dystrophy, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Symptoms include: • Weight loss • Muscle weakness • Fatigue that gets worse over time • Low blood pressure • Patchy or dark skin

(Addison Disease, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

It astonished me how long the drug took to act. This, in fact, marked the extent of her weakness.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Inflammation in the brain can lead to problems such as vision loss, weakness and paralysis.

(Brain Diseases, NIH)

In neither his father nor his mother was there any weakness, nor in the generations before them.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

With treatment, the muscle weakness often gets much better.

(Myasthenia Gravis, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

His desire to write was, after all, a little weakness which he would grow out of in time.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Weakness; lack of energy and strength.

(Asthenia, NCI Dictionary)

This may help decrease muscle protein breakdown and muscle weakness and may attenuate cancer cachexia.

(Anti-myostatin Monoclonal Antibody LY2495655, NCI Thesaurus)