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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Weak: Meaning, Usage, and Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：lacking strength (weak)

weak 🔊

/wiːk/

adj.

not strong in body; lacking physical strength or energy

Weak elderly person struggling to stand from chair

lacking strength 🔊

➕

/ˈlækɪŋ streŋkθ/

adj.

Having little physical power or energy; not strong in body.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English wāc 'soft, pliable'; related to German weich.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'week' – after a sick week, you feel weak.

📖 Example

After the flu, she felt too weak to get out of bed and needed rest all day. 🔊 After the flu, she felt too weak to get out of bed and needed rest all day.

🔗 Collocations

weak muscles – muscles lacking strength

feel weak – experience a lack of physical energy

weak from illness – lacking strength due to being sick

🔄 Synonyms

feeble (adj.) – very weak; lacking physical or mental strength

frail (adj.) – weak and delicate, often due to age or illness

fragile (adj.) – easily broken or damaged; not strong

🚫 Antonyms

strong (adj.) – having great physical power

powerful (adj.) – having a lot of strength or force

robust (adj.) – strong and healthy

🌱 Derivatives

weakness (n.) – the state of being weak

weaken (v.) – to make or become weak

weakly (adv.) – in a weak manner

📖 Cultural Story

Weak originates from Proto-Germanic *waikwaz meaning 'to yield'. In Old English it described something easily bent or subdued, later evolving to denote lack of physical or mental strength.

Meaning 2：lacking skill (weak)

weak 🔊

/wiːk/

adj.

not good at something; lacking skill or ability in a particular area

Weak student confused by math textbook equations

lacking skill 🔊

➕

/ˈlækɪŋ skɪl/

adj.

Not having enough ability or knowledge in a particular subject or area.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

She is weak in chemistry, so she joined a study group to improve her grades. 🔊 She is weak in chemistry, so she joined a study group to improve her grades.

🔗 Collocations

weak in math – lacking skill in mathematics

weak point – an area where one lacks ability

weak subject – a subject in which one performs poorly

🔄 Synonyms

poor (adj.) – of low quality or standard; lacking skill

deficient (adj.) – not having enough of a necessary quality or skill

inadequate (adj.) – not good enough; lacking ability

🚫 Antonyms

strong (adj.) – having great skill or proficiency

proficient (adj.) – skilled and experienced

capable (adj.) – having the ability to do something well

🌱 Derivatives

weakness (n.) – a particular area where one lacks skill

weaken (v.) – to make less effective or skilled

weakly (adv.) – in a way that shows lack of skill