weakness
/ˈwiːknəs
/noun
1 [mass noun] The state or condition of being weak: the country’s weakness in international dealings...
- The nerve condition is characterized by weakness and quick fatigue of facial muscles.
- Other symptoms include general weakness, a weak cry and various neurological disorders.
- Yet it undertakes this task in conditions of profound economic weakness.
Synonyms
frailty, feebleness, enfeeblement, puniness, fragility, delicateness, delicacy, weakliness;
infirmity, sickness, sickliness, shakiness, debility, incapacity, indisposition, decrepitude, enervation, fatigue, exhaustion, tiredness
informal weediness
spinelessness, timidity, cravenness, cowardliness, pusillanimity, timorousness, indecisiveness, indecision, irresolution, ineffectuality, uselessness, ineptness, ineptitude, effeteness, meekness, tameness, powerlessness, ineffectiveness, impotence, faint-heartedness
informal chicken-heartedness
inadequacy, defectiveness, faultiness, deficiency, imperfection
unconvincingness, untenability, tenuousness, implausibility, unsatisfactoriness, slightness, poverty, inadequacy, thinness, transparency;
unsoundness, flimsiness, lameness, hollowness
indistinctness, muffledness, mutedness, faintness, lowness, low intensity;
dimness, paleness, wanness, dullness, feebleness
2A disadvantage or fault: you must recognize your product’s strengths and weaknesses...
- You know, we all have our strengths and our weaknesses, our faults and our abilities.
- We know each other's faults and weaknesses and complement each other.
- There are actually numerous ways to intercept packets in Windows, each with their own disadvantages and weaknesses.
Synonyms
fault, flaw, defect, deficiency, weak point/spot, failing, foible, shortcoming, imperfection, blemish, Achilles heel, chink in one's armour
3A person or thing that one is unable to resist or likes excessively: you’re his one weakness—he should never have met you...
- Im normally not much of a collector but books are a weakness of mine.
- French fries are a weakness of mine and I have a hard time saying no to any offering of crisp, golden potato sticks.
- Puppies are my one weakness. I love puppies!
3.1 (weakness for) A self-indulgent liking for: his weakness for prawn cocktails...
- I've always had a weakness for the company of good-looking men.
- I invest quite a lot of money for my children, but I also have a definite weakness for shoes - I can't resist them.
Synonyms
fondness, liking, love, passion, partiality, preference, penchant, soft spot, bent, predisposition, predilection, leaning, inclination, proneness, proclivity, disposition, taste, eye;
relish, zeal, enthusiasm, appetite