weakling 1 of 2

weakling

2 of 2

noun

1
as in wimp
a person lacking in physical strength he had been a weakling until high school, when he started working out to put on muscle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in coward
a person without strength of character only a weakling would be willing to lie to save himself from punishment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of weakling
Noun
One is the election of Trump, whose frivolousness about national security compliments his weakling's admiration for a bully. Nbc Universal, NBC News, 16 July 2023 The book is no 179-page weakling. Karen Heller, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2023 True to predictions, this El Niño is a weakling. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2019 Only weaklings try to shut everybody up and scorch any kind of dissent. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 17 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for weakling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakling
Adjective
  • Similarly, 5GHz signals were strong in the central areas but became weaker in the garage, the den, and the kitchen area.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Many offensive cyber firms set up shop in countries with weak regulations, providing hacking tools and services to buyers worldwide.
    Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But the character, in Groening’s view, turned out to be a wimp.
    Darryn King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
  • The hard labor of making Wabanaki baskets Wabanaki basket-making isn’t for wimps.
    Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • This is a cop novel that fully satisfies its genre expectations — chases, gun battles, sinister bad guys, questionable cops, cowards and heroes.
    Claude Peck, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
  • If Republicans refuse to do that, then their constituents can rest assured that their representatives are cowards and liars.
    Letters to the Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Of the two sisters in the yellow house, Paula is a much gentler girl, a wuss, a baby, the biggest chicken—that’s how her sister thinks of her—and Rhonda is the boss.
    Alex Mar, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2023
  • Teach, who carries a gun, is a wuss about the rain.
    New York Times, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2022
Noun
  • The Sharks’ first goal was a gimme, a softy by Smith.
    Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Knox is a Great Pyrenees and Labrador mix who, despite weighing 77 pounds, is considered something of a softy.
    Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Weakling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakling. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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