: lacking willpower or resolution

Examples of weak-kneed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ohtani has the most weak-kneed and worthless advisors in the history of advisors. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 And yet for three years, as the Assad regime repressed protests and Syria’s uprising morphed into a civil war, the United States has taken a curiously weak-kneed approach to justice and accountability in the conflict. David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2014 DeSantis increasingly looks like an amalgam of Trump’s last GOP rivals for the presidency, particularly the sweaty Marco Rubio and the oily Ted Cruz: too conventional and weak-kneed to punch back when they’re bullied. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weak-kneed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of weak-kneed was in 1863

Dictionary Entries Near weak-kneed

Cite this Entry

“Weak-kneed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weak-kneed. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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