weaknesses
weaknesses — 名詞
- weaknessessingular
- weaknessesesplural
1. a state in which a person, structure, or organization lacks the strength needed
虛弱；薄弱
身體、結構或財務不強大的狀態
a state in which a person, structure, or organization lacks the strength needed to withstand physical force, financial hardship, or structural pressure.
After three weeks in hospital, Lien felt weakness in her legs and could barely stand.
住院三週後，Lien 感覺到雙腿虛弱，幾乎站不起來。
uncountable: weakness in [body part]
The foundation cracked because a structural weakness in the concrete had been overlooked during construction.
地基破裂是因為混凝土的結構薄弱在施工期間被忽略了。
An independent audit exposed the company's financial weakness — it had almost no cash reserves left.
一項獨立審計揭露了該公司的財務薄弱——它幾乎沒有任何現金儲備。
Wei's voice carried a clear weakness as he described the loss of his childhood home.
Wei 的聲音帶著明顯的虛弱，因為他描述著失去童年老家的事。
- frailty
suggests fragile or delicate condition, often of a person's body
- vulnerability
focuses on being open to damage or attack rather than general lack of power
- fragility
emphasizes how easily something can break or be harmed
用法筆記
This uncountable sense describes the state or quality itself, not a specific instance. It is often modified by adjectives like 'physical,' 'financial,' or 'structural' that identify the type of frailty.
常見錯誤
2. a specific shortcoming in a person's character, a system's design, or an object'
缺點；弱點
個人、系統或設計中不完善的地方
a specific shortcoming in a person's character, a system's design, or an object's structure that stops it from working as well as it should.
Talia knows that impatience is one of her biggest weaknesses in the workplace.
Talia 知道在工作場合中，急躁是她最大的缺點之一。
possessive + weakness: one of [possessive] biggest weaknesses
The engineers studied every weakness in the bridge design before construction began.
工程師在橋樑動工前研究了設計中的每一個弱點。
Mauricio wrote his strengths and weaknesses on paper before the job interview.
Mauricio 在面試前在紙上寫下了自己的優點和缺點。
The software had a critical security weakness that allowed outsiders to access private user data.
該軟體有一個嚴重的安全漏洞，讓外部人士能夠存取私人用戶資料。
- flaw
more neutral, often used for objects or systems rather than people
- defect
suggests a physical or structural fault that makes something imperfect
- shortcoming
focuses on a failure to meet a standard, common for personal qualities
- vulnerability
highlights that the flaw can be exploited or cause damage
用法筆記
Frequently used in the paired expression 'strengths and weaknesses,' especially in self-assessment, job interviews, and performance reviews. When listing multiple shortcomings, the plural form 'weaknesses' is the natural choice.
常見錯誤
3. a strong but often unwise fondness for something, especially food, drink, or a h
嗜好
對某事物難以抗拒的偏好
a strong but often unwise fondness for something, especially food, drink, or a habit that is bad for you.
Gita has a weakness for dark chocolate and eats a whole block every evening.
Gita 對黑巧克力毫無抵抗力，每晚都要吃掉一整塊。
have a weakness for + [tempting thing]
Despite being a health coach, Tyler admits having a weakness for greasy fast food.
儘管 Tyler 是一名健康教練，他承認自己對油膩的速食情有獨鍾。
Rania's greatest weakness is designer handbags — she cannot resist them.
Rania 最大的嗜好是名牌包包——她完全無法抗拒。
Ada had a weakness for old jazz records and spent her pension on them.
Ada 對老爵士唱片有特殊的偏好，她把退休金都花在上面了。
文法句型
have a weakness for [something]
用法筆記
This sense is used to describe a fondness that the speaker acknowledges as slightly indulgent or bad for them. It is nearly always followed by 'for' and takes the pattern 'have a weakness for [noun].'