Limp: Definition, Usage & Common Examples

Meaning 1：soft and weak (limp)

limp 🔊

/lɪmp/

adj.

not stiff or strong; lacking energy and strength

Limp definition illustrated by a wilted lettuce leaf on a countertop

soft and weak 🔊

➕

/sɒft ænd wiːk/

adj.

Describing something that is not stiff or strong, often appearing droopy or lacking energy and firmness.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Middle English 'limpen', meaning to happen, later describing weakness or softness.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a limp lettuce leaf – soft, droopy, and not crisp.

📖 Example

After being left out all day, the birthday balloon looked sad and limp. 🔊 A birthday balloon left outside all day appears sad and soft, losing its firmness.

🔗 Collocations

limp body – a body that is weak or lacking muscle tone

limp handshake – a handshake that is weak and not firm

limp foliage – plant leaves that are wilted and drooping

🔄 Synonyms

flaccid (adj.) – soft and limp; lacking firmness

floppy (adj.) – tending to flop or hang loosely

weak (adj.) – lacking physical strength or energy

🚫 Antonyms

stiff (adj.) – firm and not easily bent

rigid (adj.) – not flexible; stiff and unyielding

firm (adj.) – solid and strong; not soft or weak

🌱 Derivatives

limply (adv.) – in a limp manner; weakly

limpness (n.) – the state of being limp

📖 Cultural Story

Often used in botany for wilted plants and medicine for weak muscles. In everyday language, it describes objects or bodies lacking rigidity.