weakling 1 of 2

weakling

2 of 2

noun

1
as in wimp
a person lacking in physical strength he had been a weakling until high school, when he started working out to put on muscle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example 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
Noun
What cinches this daring perspective is actor Andrew Scott’s phenomenal characterization as a weakling who grapples with gradual self-awareness. Armond White, National Review, 29 Dec. 2023 But in a call with Mr. Licht after the meeting, Mr. Zaslav belittled Mr. Zucker as a weakling who had tears in his eyes, several people with knowledge of the conversation said. Benjamin Mullin, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023 One is the election of Trump, whose frivolousness about national security compliments his weakling's admiration for a bully. Nbc Universal, NBC News, 16 July 2023 The book is no 179-page weakling. Karen Heller, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for weakling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakling
Adjective
  • In sum, there is a weak case, at best, for some kind of standardization of non-financial KPIs.
    Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
  • But many Tea Party nominees proved to be weak general election candidates when running for Senate, delaying Republican control of the upper chamber until 2014.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • Your wimp of a husband should be there during this conversation.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
  • Share The patriarch of the Berenstain Bears’ family is not a wimp.
    Gregory M. Collins, National Review, 15 June 2025
Noun
  • With rising apprehension, the Cabinet kept deliberating for a couple of days while Sumner did his best to shut down jingoistic rhetoric in the Senate from politicians who demanded that Lincoln not be a coward in the face of Great Britain.
    Zaakir Tameez June 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
  • Because these cowards fear being doxed for their inhumane and unconscionable actions.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
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
  • The Sharks’ first goal was a gimme, a softy by Smith.
    Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Knox is a Great Pyrenees and Labrador mix who, despite weighing 77 pounds, is considered something of a softy.
    Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Weakling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakling. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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