as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
management is too weak-kneed to effectively enforce even a minimal dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 weak-kneed
Sadly, Pope Paul VI, who succeeded John XIII, was weak-kneed, while John Paul II and Benedict XVI were conservative revanchists.
—
R. R. Reno, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2018
Someone who, when in command, commands — and isn’t a weak-kneed politician.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Her yes left her weak-kneed in a more swoony kind of way.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Ohtani has the most weak-kneed and worthless advisors in the history of advisors.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
And yet for three years, as the Assad regime repressed protests and Syria’s uprising morphed into a civil war, the United States has taken a curiously weak-kneed approach to justice and accountability in the conflict.
—David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2014
DeSantis increasingly looks like an amalgam of Trump’s last GOP rivals for the presidency, particularly the sweaty Marco Rubio and the oily Ted Cruz: too conventional and weak-kneed to punch back when they’re bullied.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023
R. R. Reno, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2018
Someone who, when in command, commands — and isn’t a weak-kneed politician.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Her yes left her weak-kneed in a more swoony kind of way.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Ohtani has the most weak-kneed and worthless advisors in the history of advisors.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
And yet for three years, as the Assad regime repressed protests and Syria’s uprising morphed into a civil war, the United States has taken a curiously weak-kneed approach to justice and accountability in the conflict.
—David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2014
DeSantis increasingly looks like an amalgam of Trump’s last GOP rivals for the presidency, particularly the sweaty Marco Rubio and the oily Ted Cruz: too conventional and weak-kneed to punch back when they’re bullied.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near weak-kneed
Cite this Entry
“Weak-kneed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weak-kneed. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share