as in fragile
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
a weakly baby who required repeated hospitalizations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in feebly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weakly
Vince Passaro, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Many systems are either highly mobile but weakly connected, or strongly connected but slow to reconfigure and prone to losing mobility.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Dec. 2025
In the sixth, Chisholm walked to the plate with Aaron Judge on second base and Giancarlo Stanton on first and two outs, but Chisholm grounded out weakly to second base.
—The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
The sun blasts us from the left and warm air puffs weakly from the vents.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 19 Sep. 2025
After striking out weakly in his at-bat in the fourth, the Twins removed Jeffers from the game.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
These differences matter — research shows the benefits are strongest where enforcement is clear and coverage is broad, while partial or weakly enforced laws yield far less impact.
—Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In microtransfer printing, laser dies [red rectangles, left] are weakly held in place on their own wafer.
—Roel Baets, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2023
Adverb
They’d been poorly reviewed, sold weakly, and were generally held in low esteem except by a select few.
—Vince Passaro, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Many systems are either highly mobile but weakly connected, or strongly connected but slow to reconfigure and prone to losing mobility.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Dec. 2025
In the sixth, Chisholm walked to the plate with Aaron Judge on second base and Giancarlo Stanton on first and two outs, but Chisholm grounded out weakly to second base.
—The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
The sun blasts us from the left and warm air puffs weakly from the vents.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 19 Sep. 2025
After striking out weakly in his at-bat in the fourth, the Twins removed Jeffers from the game.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
These differences matter — research shows the benefits are strongest where enforcement is clear and coverage is broad, while partial or weakly enforced laws yield far less impact.
—Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In microtransfer printing, laser dies [red rectangles, left] are weakly held in place on their own wafer.
—Roel Baets, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakly
Adjective
-
Losing him to the likes of the Tennessee Titans or Atlanta Falcons would have been a devastating blow at a fragile time for the franchise.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The impact of Villaraigosa’s outright opposition remains to be seen, particularly as one poll featured in the New York Post underscored the extremely fragile support for the proposal.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
One man aboard the boat knew how to navigate the mangroves and sandbars of the keys, and with the late summer sun beating down on the rafters, the boat pushed out feebly into the open ocean.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Its formula of ceramides, astaxanthin, and arginine strengthen, provide elasticity, and heal weak or broken hair.—
Olivia Dubyak,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
-
These winds could occasionally trigger minor (G1-level) geomagnetic storm activity, though displays are expected to be weaker and more sporadic than those seen over the weekend.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The result is a faintly comic curio that hurtles along without much impact.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Light glowed faintly behind the curtains.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
With elderly patients, particularly those who are cognitively impaired and frail, that can be challenging.—
Neil Gaffin,
STAT,
29 Dec. 2025
-
However, the bacteria can cause serious, potentially fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
23 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Others knelt in prayer, crying softly.—
Danielle Bacher,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Elle Fanning adds a slight wave to her hair with the ends softly rolled under to glam-up a blunt bob.—
Elise Tabin,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The 89-minute running time doesn’t allow much exposition, and in fact the opening sequence shows a veterinarian coming to treat a sickly Ben before having his face viciously torn off.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
-
This usually occurs when a dead limb or a sickly tree falls.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser gently removes dirt, excess oil, and their favorite makeup.—
Katrina Cossey,
Parents,
15 Jan. 2026
-
While the garment is submerged—silk fibers aren’t as strong or tight when wet—gently stretch it back to the correct size.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Weakly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakly. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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