weak
weak — adjective
1. having little physical power or energy, so that your body cannot make much effor
having little physical power or energy, so that your body cannot make much effort, carry heavy things, or fight illness well.
After three days with the flu, Lan felt too weak to walk to the kitchen.
collocation: feel weak + too weak to + infinitive
After running up five flights of stairs, Mateo's legs were too weak to carry him any further.
collocation: body part + too weak to + infinitive
Ayesha's legs felt weak after she ran the full ten-kilometre race.
The puppy was born very weak and needed special milk from the vet.
Jude lifted weights every day so his arms would not stay weak.
文法句型
weak + noun
too weak to + infinitive
feel/look/sound weak
用法筆記
Frequently used after verbs of bodily sensation such as feel, look, or sound. Often intensified with very or too in descriptions of illness or exhaustion.
常見錯誤
2. not having the strength of mind to make your own decisions, say no to others, or
not having the strength of mind to make your own decisions, say no to others, or lead people firmly.
The manager was too weak to tell staff when their work was not good enough.
too weak to + infinitive (character sense)
Bilal felt weak for agreeing to write his friend's homework just to avoid an argument.
A weak leader who cannot say no often loses the respect of the whole team.
Soraya called her brother weak for giving in to every demand from his children.
Andrew knew it was weak to cancel his plans just because his friend disagreed.
- spineless
more informal and insulting, suggests a complete lack of courage
- timid
focuses on shyness and fear rather than lack of willpower
- submissive
suggests willingly obeying others, not necessarily weak-willed
- strong-willed
having firm determination and resolve
- assertive
expressing opinions confidently without aggression
文法句型
weak + noun (leader, person, character)
too weak to + infinitive
用法筆記
Common after too...to constructions. Can be used as an adjective describing either a person or their actions (a weak decision, a weak response).
常見錯誤
3. not strong or convincing enough to make people believe or accept what you are sa
not strong or convincing enough to make people believe or accept what you are saying.
Carlos gave a weak excuse that his manager did not believe for a second.
attributive: weak excuse
The lawyer pointed out several weak points in the story that the witness told.
collocation: weak point / weak spot
Andrew's argument for leaving the team was based on very weak evidence.
Iris knew her reasons were weak when even her best friend disagreed.
The teacher rejected the project proposal because the research behind it was weak.
- unconvincing
direct synonym, more formal, focuses on the listener's reaction
- flimsy
suggests the excuse or argument is clearly insubstantial, almost transparently false
- feeble
stronger criticism, suggests the argument is laughably weak
- convincing
persuasive and believable
- strong
well-supported and difficult to argue against
文法句型
weak + noun (argument, excuse, reason, evidence)
weak point / weak spot
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively (before a noun like argument, excuse, reason, or evidence) or predicatively with the subject being an argument or claim. The noun explains what is unconvincing.
常見錯誤
4. (of a drink) containing much more water than the main ingredient, so the taste i
(of a drink) containing much more water than the main ingredient, so the taste is not strong.
Mira complained that the coffee was so weak it tasted like warm brown water.
collocation: weak coffee
The restaurant served weak tea that had almost no flavour at all.
collocation: weak tea
Lan prefers weak orange juice because she does not like very sour drinks.
The children complained that the lemonade was too weak and asked for more syrup to be added.
The bar sold a weak beer that tasted mostly of fizzy water.
- strong
having a rich, concentrated flavour
- concentrated
full-strength, not diluted
文法句型
weak + noun (tea, coffee, beer, juice)
用法筆記
Commonly used with hot drinks (tea, coffee) and alcoholic drinks (beer). The opposite is strong. In cooking contexts, weak can also describe broth or soup.
常見錯誤
5. (in chemistry) releasing only a small number of charged particles (ions) when di
(in chemistry) releasing only a small number of charged particles (ions) when dissolved in water, so the chemical reaction is mild.
Vinegar contains a weak acid that is safe to use in salad dressing.
collocation: weak acid
In the lab, the students tested how weak acids react with different metals.
Unlike strong acids, a weak acid does not burn or damage human skin right away.
Élise learned that weak bases are often found in household cleaning products.
The chemistry teacher explained why a weak alkali produces fewer hydroxide ions.
- strong
(of acid/base) fully ionising in solution
文法句型
weak + noun (acid, base, alkali, solution)
用法筆記
A technical term in chemistry. The opposite is strong (strong acid, strong base). The degree of ionisation, not the concentration, determines whether an acid or base is weak.
常見錯誤
6. not performing or working as well as people normally expect in a particular area
not performing or working as well as people normally expect in a particular area.
Maths has always been Iris's weakest subject at school.
superlative: weakest subject
The team's defense was weak, so the other side scored three goals easily.
Lakan gave a weak performance in the piano recital and felt very disappointed.
A weak spot in the company's business plan was discovered too late to fix.
The English department is weak in teaching writing skills, according to the survey.
- poor
more direct and general, can describe quality without implying comparison
- inadequate
more formal, suggests failure to meet a required standard
- unsatisfactory
focuses on not meeting expectations rather than lack of skill
文法句型
weak + noun (subject, performance, area, link)
weakest + noun
weak in/at + noun phrase
用法筆記
Can describe a person, a team, or an area of work. When describing a person, prefer 'weak in/at [area]' rather than just 'weak' to avoid confusion with the character sense (sense 2).
常見錯誤
7. describes a chin that is small and slopes backward toward the neck instead of pr
describes a chin that is small and slopes backward toward the neck instead of projecting forward from the face.
Eve's weak chin made her face look rounder than she wanted.
The dentist explained that a weak chin can affect how the upper and lower teeth meet.
collocation: weak chin + dental/medical context
Jabari grew a short beard to balance the appearance of his weak chin.
From the side, the model's weak chin made her jawline look less defined.
8. lacking the ability to think clearly, understand ideas, or learn new things quic
lacking the ability to think clearly, understand ideas, or learn new things quickly.
The student's weak grasp of basic math made the advanced class very difficult.
collocation: weak grasp of [subject]
Aarav's weak understanding of the safety rules nearly caused an accident in the lab.
Priya's weak performance on the final exam surprised her parents and teachers alike.
The committee rejected the proposal because of its weak logic and missing evidence.
用法筆記
Applied directly to a person ('He is weak') can sound insulting; it is often better to describe their reasoning, grasp, or performance instead.
常見錯誤
9. not strong or intense enough to be easily seen, heard, felt, smelled, or noticed
not strong or intense enough to be easily seen, heard, felt, smelled, or noticed by the senses.
A weak light came through the curtains just before sunrise.
collocation: weak light
Nellie heard a weak knock at the door but did not get up to answer it.
The radio signal was too weak to pick up any stations in the mountain cabin.
A weak smell of burned toast hung in the kitchen after breakfast.
The old flashlight produced only a weak beam that barely lit the path ahead.
用法筆記
Often used with sensory nouns: weak light, weak sound, weak smell, weak signal. The opposite is strong or bright (for light) or loud (for sound).
常見錯誤
10. in linguistics, describing a verb whose past-tense and past-participle forms are
in linguistics, describing a verb whose past-tense and past-participle forms are built with a suffix such as -ed, -d, or -t placed at the end, rather than through a change in the vowel.
The verb 'walk' is a weak verb because its past form 'walked' takes the regular -ed ending.
pattern: weak verb marked by -ed/-d/-t ending
Most new English verbs enter the language as weak verbs because the regular pattern is easier to follow.
Joaquín found weak verbs easier to learn than strong ones because the past tense did not change the vowel.
In grammar lessons, weak verbs are often called regular verbs and strong verbs are called irregular.
- regular
the everyday term used in school grammar
用法筆記
This is a technical term in linguistics. In English-language classrooms, weak verbs are more commonly called 'regular verbs.'
常見錯誤
11. describes a word or syllable that is not stressed when spoken naturally, so that
describes a word or syllable that is not stressed when spoken naturally, so that its vowel sound becomes shorter or less clear.
In the phrase 'fish and chips,' the word 'and' takes its weak form and sounds like /n/.
pattern: weak form of function words in connected speech
The weak form of the word 'to' sounds like /tə/ before a consonant.
Femi struggled to hear the weak vowel in the middle of the long sentence.
Learners of English often need practice recognizing weak forms in fast, natural speech.
- unstressed
broader term; applies to any syllable that receives no stress, whether or not the vowel is reduced
- reduced
focuses on the shortening or weakening of the vowel sound itself
用法筆記
This term belongs to phonetics and phonology. Weak forms are most common for function words such as prepositions, auxiliary verbs, and conjunctions.
12. describes an economy, market, or currency that is not performing well, with fall
describes an economy, market, or currency that is not performing well, with falling prices, low demand, or reduced value.
A weak economy usually means fewer jobs are available for new graduates.
collocation: weak economy
Investors worried about the weak dollar and moved their savings into gold.
Pim decided to sell his shares when the market turned weak in early autumn.
Sales reports showed a weak performance in the electronics sector last quarter.
A weak housing market can be good for buyers but difficult for homeowners who want to sell.
用法筆記
Common in financial news. Often paired with nouns like economy, market, demand, currency, dollar, and sector. The opposite in financial contexts is strong.