Achilles' heel

noun

: a vulnerable point

Did you know?

When the hero Achilles was an infant, his sea-nymph mother dipped him into the river Styx to make him immortal. But since she held him by one heel, this spot did not touch the water and so remained mortal and vulnerable, and it was here that Achilles was eventually mortally wounded. Today, the tendon that stretches up the calf from the heel is called the Achilles tendon. But the term Achilles' heel isn't used in medicine; instead, it's only used with the general meaning "weak point"—for instance, to refer to a section of a country's borders that aren't militarily protected, or to a Jeopardy contestant's ignorance in the Sports category.

Synonyms

• back
• chink
• jugular
• soft spot
• underbelly

Examples of Achilles' heel in a Sentence

I'm trying to lose weight, but ice cream is my Achilles' heel.

the food supply proved to be the nation's Achilles' heel in its defense against terrorist attacks

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, historically, the Achilles' heel of our system has to do with foreign banks, because when an American puts a bank deposit with a foreign bank, there's no withholding and there's no reporting. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

An old Achilles' heel still hobbling Falcons' defense: 5 factors ACC’s middle class holds the key to reversing its negative hoops narrative Padres at Dodgers Game 5 odds, projections, schedule: Do or die with an NLCS spot on the line Who has edge for Canada's 4 Nations net? —New York Times, 11 Oct. 2024

Eventually, the one Achilles' heel to the state's green dreams will be the amount of aviation fuel required to bring the visitors who fuel its economy. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024

Free throws are huge again Free-throw shooting continues to be an Achilles' heel for this IU team. —Zion Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 31 Jan. 2024

The shape of the bag was intentionally placed on the Achilles' heel. —Venesa Coger, refinery29.com, 11 July 2023

Battery life is this phone's Achilles' heel. —Julian Chokkattu, Wired, 10 Aug. 2020

One major feature of modern medical devices, wireless remote control capability, is also their Achilles' heel. —Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2011

As is often the case, Apple's Achilles' heel is the price of its products. —Ben Gottesman, PCMAG, 31 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

from the story that Achilles was vulnerable only in the heel

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Achilles' heel

noun

Achil·​les' heel

ə-ˌkil-ēz-

: a special or personal weakness

Etymology

named for Achilles, warrior in Greek legend

Word Origin

In Greek legend, Achilles' mother protected him from harm by dipping him in the River Styx. However, she held him by the heel while doing it. As a result this heel did not get wet and thus was not protected. Later, during the Trojan War, Achilles was killed by Paris, a Trojan prince, who shot him in the unprotected heel with an arrow. The term Achilles' heel has since come to refer to any weak spot or point.