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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Examples 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
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
That transformed the storm from a wandering weakling into into roaring Super Typhoon with winds swirling at 160 mph.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2017
See all Example Sentences for weakling 
Noun
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
That transformed the storm from a wandering weakling into into roaring Super Typhoon with winds swirling at 160 mph.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2017
See all Example Sentences for weakling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakling
Adjective
-
Capasa noted that a negative third quarter impacted by weak internal demand, the slowdown of purchases from Chinese customers and overall geopolitical instability kept worsening the cautious scenario already registered in the first half of the year.Sandra Salibian, WWD, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Scene-to-scene continuity is typically weak and telling.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The hard labor of making Wabanaki baskets Wabanaki basket-making isn’t for wimps.Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
-
Compared to 88-year-old percussion master Pete Escovedo, Keith Sweat, John Michael Montgomery, Frankie Beverly and the members of the Eagles and Aventura seem like, well, wimps.George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
William quickly places Ian under arrest for assaulting an officer, as Rachel calls him a coward.Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
-
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) Bob Hope didn’t so much play characters as variations on the Bob Hope persona, a wisecracking coward with a tendency to get in way over his head then make matters worse for himself.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
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
-
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
-
There are several great performances going on that add some surprising depth to characters that could easily be one-note, led by Scott Foley, who seems to be having the most fun as Nick Blackburn, the outwardly cynical executive producer of the show who is, deep down (way, way deep down), a softy.Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Thesaurus Entries Near weakling
Cite this Entry
“Weakling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakling. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share