as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
argues that in a time of war, the country can't afford to have a weakling president
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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as in coward
a person without strength of character
only a weakling would be willing to lie to save himself from punishment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Though Ivory was a 118-pound teenage weakling uninterested in athletics, an approving steam-room glance from his father, who ran a lumber company, assured the son that his own endowment (cut, a distinction of some socioeconomic preoccupation) was more than adequate.
—Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for weakling
Noun
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
Though Ivory was a 118-pound teenage weakling uninterested in athletics, an approving steam-room glance from his father, who ran a lumber company, assured the son that his own endowment (cut, a distinction of some socioeconomic preoccupation) was more than adequate.
—Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for weakling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakling
Adjective
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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
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As the market sell-off gains steam, a handful of quality stocks could outperform and buck the broader weak trend for equities, according to Bernstein.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But the character, in Groening’s view, turned out to be a wimp.—
Darryn King,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2024
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The hard labor of making Wabanaki baskets Wabanaki basket-making isn’t for wimps.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
USA TODAY,
29 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Real Madrid forward reportedly referred to Messi and his teammates as cowards for retreating to the dressing room after Brazilian police attacked a section of Argentine fans.—
Felipe Cardenas,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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The employees are spoiled and the investors are cowards.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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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
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Teach, who carries a gun, is a wuss about the rain.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2022
Noun
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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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For all her professional bravado, among those closest to her, Silverman is known as a sentimental softy.—
Amy Kaufman,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Weakling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakling. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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