The Collaborative Dictionary

Weakness \Weak"ness\, n.

The quality or state of being weak; want of strength or firmness; lack of vigor; want of resolution or of moral strength; feebleness. [1913 Webster]

That which is a mark of lack of strength or resolution; a fault; a defect. [1913 Webster] Many take pleasure in spreading abroad the weakness of an exalted character. --Spectator. [1913 Webster] Syn: Feebleness; debility; languor; imbecility; infirmness; infirmity; decrepitude; frailty; faintness. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

weakness

1 a flaw or weak point; "he was quick to point out his wife's failings" [syn: failing]

2 powerlessness revealed by an inability to act; "in spite of their weakness the group remains highly active" [syn: helplessness, impuissance]

3 the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain; "his weakness increased as he became older"; "the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed" [ant: strength]

4 the condition of being financially weak; "the weakness of the dollar against the yen" [ant: strength]

5 a penchant for something even though it might not be good for you; "he has a weakness for chocolate"

Moby Thesaurus

Amor, Christian love, Eros, Platonic love, a thing for, abulia, accessibility, admiration, adoration, affection, affinity, agape, airiness, airy texture, amenableness, anemia, aptitude, aptness, ardency, ardor, area, ashiness, assailability, attachment, attenuation, bad habit, bag, bent, besetting sin, bias, bleariness, blemish, bloodlessness, blur, blurriness, bodily love, brain fag, brotherly love, bug, cadaverousness, carelessness, caritas, cast, catch, chance, charity, chicken-liveredness, chickenheartedness, chink, chloranemia, conatus, conduciveness, conjugal love, contingency, cowardice, cowardliness, crack, crush, cullibility, cup of tea, darkness, deadness, deathly hue, deathly pallor, debilitation, debility, deceivability, decrescendo, defect, defection, deficiency, defocus, delicacy, delight, desire, devotion, diaphanousness, diathesis, dilutedness, dilution, dimness, disposition, drawback, dullness, dupability, eagerness, easiness, easygoingness, enervation, enfeeblement, ethereality, eventuality, exiguity, exility, exsanguination, eyestrain, fadedness, failing, failure, faintheart, faintheartedness, faintness, fairness, faithful love, fancy, fatigue, fault, faute, fear, feeblemindedness, feebleness, feeling for, fervor, field, filminess, fineness, flabbiness, flame, flatness, flavorlessness, flaw, flimsiness, fogginess, foible, fondness, forcelessness, forte, frailty, free love, free-lovism, fuzziness, gauziness, gentleness, ghastliness, goneness, gossameriness, gracility, greenness, gullibility, gust, gusto, haggardness, half-visibility, haziness, heart, heart strain, heel of Achilles, henheartedness, hero worship, hoaxability, hole, human equation, human frailty, human weakness, humanity, humanness, hypochromia, hypochromic anemia, idolatry, idolism, idolization, imperfection, impotence, impotency, imprecision, impressionability, impuissance, inadequacy, inanity, inclination, indefiniteness, indifference, indistinctness, indistinguishability, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, infatuation, infirmity, influenceability, ingenuousness, insipidity, insipidness, insubstantiality, jadedness, jejuneness, jejunity, kink, laciness, lack of force, lack of influence, lack of magnetism, lack of personality, lack of power, languor, lasciviousness, lassitude, laxity, laxness, leaning, leniency, liability, liableness, libido, lifelessness, lightness, like, likelihood, likeliness, likes, liking, lily-liveredness, line, little problem, lividness, long suit, looseness, loosening, love, lovemaking, low profile, lowness, main interest, malleability, manner, married love, mental fatigue, mental strain, metier, mildness, milksopism, milksoppiness, milksoppishness, mistiness, moral flaw, mortality, movability, muddiness, naiveness, naivete, naivety, negligence, no say, obligation, obscurity, open-mindedness, openness, overindulgence, overpermissiveness, overstrain, overtiredness, paleness, pallidity, pallidness, pallor, paperiness, passion, pastiness, penchant, penetrability, permissiveness, persuadability, perviousness, pet subject, physical love, pigeonheartedness, pliability, popular regard, popularity, possibility, power vacuum, powerlessness, predilection, predisposition, pregnability, prejudice, prison pallor, probability, problem, proclivity, proneness, propensity, pursuit, rarity, readiness, receptiveness, regard, relaxation, relaxedness, relish, remissness, responsiveness, rift, sallowness, saplessness, savorlessness, seduceability, semivisibility, sensitivity to, sentiment, sex, sexual love, shadowiness, shine, shortcoming, sickliness, sickly hue, simpleness, simplicity, slackness, sleepiness, slenderness, slightness, slimness, sloppiness, snag, soft focus, soft spot, softheartedness, softness, something missing, specialism, speciality, specialization, specialty, spinelessness, spiritual love, staleness, stance fatigue, strain, strong point, style, subaudibility, subduedness, subtility, suggestibility, susceptibility, swayableness, taint, taste, tastelessness, technicality, tendency, tender feeling, tender passion, tenderheartedness, tenderness, tenuity, thinness, timidity, timidness, timorousness, tiredness, tropism, truelove, turn, twist, type, unauthoritativeness, uncertainty, unclearness, uninfluentiality, unmanfulness, unmanliness, unpersuasiveness, unplainness, unrestraint, unsavoriness, unsophistication, uxoriousness, vague appearance, vagueness, vapidity, vice, vincibility, vocation, vulnerability, vulnerable place, vulnerable point, wanness, warm heart, warmheartedness, warp, wateriness, way, weak link, weak point, weak side, weak will, weak-mindedness, weakheartedness, wearifulness, weariness, willingness, wishy-washiness, wispiness, worship, yearning, yellowness

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

• SAMPA: /"wi:k.n@s/

Noun

1. The condition of being weak.

   In a small number of horses, muscle weakness may progress to paralysis.

2. A special fondness or desire.

   She is an athlete who has a weakness for chocolate.

Translations