as in fragile
chronically or repeatedly suffering from poor health
a weakly baby who required repeated hospitalizations
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as in feebly
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Recent Examples of weakly
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
But Rodríguez struck out Olson on a check swing, and Austin Riley weakly rolled a change-up to shortstop to end the threat.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Silseth threw him one pitch, and Alvarez grounded weakly to second.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
There were sketches that ran too long, or ended weakly, but were generally redeemed by a young(ish), confident 11-member cast that made the most of them.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
The system is set up to detect what are called light dark matter particles, which interact so weakly with regular matter that other methods of detecting them have failed.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
With his team down by a run in the bottom of the ninth, Araúz pinch hit for Allen Córdoba and grounded out weakly to second base.
—Melissa Lockard, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Instead, the commissioner weakly would not even commit to an investigation of Tisch at the Super Bowl.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
In 1946, Congress responded weakly to mounting overseas food needs.
—Peter Simons, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Adverb
Because Anna and Matteo were never actually together, her clear attraction with Michael doesn’t face any meaningful obstacles, aside from some obligatory (and weakly justified) initial sniping between the two leads.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
But Rodríguez struck out Olson on a check swing, and Austin Riley weakly rolled a change-up to shortstop to end the threat.
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Silseth threw him one pitch, and Alvarez grounded weakly to second.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
There were sketches that ran too long, or ended weakly, but were generally redeemed by a young(ish), confident 11-member cast that made the most of them.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
The system is set up to detect what are called light dark matter particles, which interact so weakly with regular matter that other methods of detecting them have failed.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
With his team down by a run in the bottom of the ninth, Araúz pinch hit for Allen Córdoba and grounded out weakly to second base.
—Melissa Lockard, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Instead, the commissioner weakly would not even commit to an investigation of Tisch at the Super Bowl.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
In 1946, Congress responded weakly to mounting overseas food needs.
—Peter Simons, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakly
Adjective
-
After delivery, if a baby needs to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), The Women’s Hospital is fully equipped to care for premature and medically fragile infants in our 24/7 dedicated, on-site level III Irma Feldcamp NICU.—
MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Israel's continued attacks in Lebanon have posed an ongoing threat to the fragile truce, with Israel disputing that the agreement extended to its operations against Hezbollah.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Heathcliff’s racial ambiguity — so central to the novel’s violence and otherness — is feebly erased.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
This time, economists say the job market and consumer spending are weaker, and there are no large government stimulus checks being issued to spur demand.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Then, a strong hit by Sennecke on fellow rookie Michael Misa gave way to a weak clearing attempt by former King Tyler Toffoli.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
This was a black one with blotches faintly outlined in pale yellow, a beautiful but deadly looking animal.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The architecture is predominantly grand Victorian villas in candy-box lilacs and creams, their aged wooden panels faintly reminiscent of a Norwegian coastal town.—
Alexandra Genova,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Physically frail, yet in full verbal command, Julian doesn’t talk to Lori so much as at her, pausing only to fire off questions that harden, in midair, into assumptions.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Meyerson had become frail and disoriented by the spring of 2019.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
While the trees are softly illuminated from below, the flower beds and garden features are accented with lighting from above, a strategy undertaken by Apfelstadt to foster a magical, immersive ambiance.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
15 Apr. 2026
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But with how softly Aranda’s batted ball was, Chisholm had to turn a double play because throwing home to get Chandler Simpson out at the plate was impossible.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a painterly look to the image, rather than the typical slop-style sickly sheen, but the AI origins are still unmistakable.—
Cath Virginia,
The Verge,
11 Apr. 2026
-
For reasons that are still poorly understood, the body’s immune system, normally tuned exquisitely to root out and destroy invasive pathogens or sickly cells, begins to assault healthy cells instead.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Add the chickpeas and shake gently to coat.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Cook, without disturbing, until the egg starts to set into fluffy curds, 30 to 45 seconds, then gently stir to distribute.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Weakly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakly. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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