as in back
a vulnerable point
the food supply proved to be the nation's Achilles' heel in its defense against terrorist attacks
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Recent Examples of Achilles' heel
For years, spacing has been an Achilles' heel, often clogging driving lanes for LeBron.
—
Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
This is the Achilles' heel of countless companies, as IT management and employee management must increasingly be considered holistically.
—Dennis-Kenji Kipker, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The Republicans' Achilles' heel The new Achilles' heel for the GOP is spring court elections, which have become highly partisan and politically consequential.
—Craig Gilbert, jsonline.com, 18 July 2025
In Apple's case, solid-state drives have sometimes been an Achilles' heel.
—Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025
Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
This is the Achilles' heel of countless companies, as IT management and employee management must increasingly be considered holistically.
—Dennis-Kenji Kipker, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The Republicans' Achilles' heel The new Achilles' heel for the GOP is spring court elections, which have become highly partisan and politically consequential.
—Craig Gilbert, jsonline.com, 18 July 2025
In Apple's case, solid-state drives have sometimes been an Achilles' heel.
—Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Achilles' heel
Noun
-
While the left back wouldn’t solve all, or even most, of the problems Thomas Frank’s team is currently suffering from, his experience could help a dressing room that appears to be seriously lacking in natural leadership qualities.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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While both collective and individual participation is permitted—some large firms like H&M have created their own take-back programs—95 percent of the French fashion community (about 4,000 entities) are registered with the Refashion collective compliance program.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, the Academy clearly still has a soft spot for the Greek provocateur—Bugonia got four nods, including in best picture and best actress for Emma Stone’s magnetic lead performance.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady, now, is poised to once again exploit the Broncos’ soft spots.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Achilles' heel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Achilles%27%20heel. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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