as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
argues that in a time of war, the country can't afford to have a weakling president
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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as in coward
a person without strength of character
only a weakling would be willing to lie to save himself from punishment
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weakling
Alex Sherman,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Separating the weakling from the herd only heightened their fear.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
The sign Scorpio isn’t known to be a weakling, nor is Tyrannosaurus.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 2 July 2025
Based on this challenge, the groups would have been weaklings Cedrek, Star, Chrissy, Sai, Kamilla, and Mary in one group and Eva, Joe, Mitch, Kyle, David, and Shauhin in the strongman group.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weakling
Noun
Last year, Paramount, which owns CBS Sports, looked like a weakling compared to its competitors.
—Alex Sherman,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Separating the weakling from the herd only heightened their fear.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
The sign Scorpio isn’t known to be a weakling, nor is Tyrannosaurus.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 2 July 2025
Based on this challenge, the groups would have been weaklings Cedrek, Star, Chrissy, Sai, Kamilla, and Mary in one group and Eva, Joe, Mitch, Kyle, David, and Shauhin in the strongman group.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weakling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weakling
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA is widely expected to be more competitive next season — from the bottom tier, where anti-tanking regulations and a weaker draft class should curb teams’ intentional losing, to the upper echelons, where Oklahoma City and San Antonio stand tall.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
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Conditions change quickly, signals conflict with each other, and weak assumptions tend to get exposed without much delay.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
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What unites these movements is a shared contempt for the moderate, who is dismissed as cowardly, unprincipled, or insincere: wimps who inexplicably hate winning.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Advertisement Similarly, no one is going to think Mullin is a wimp.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Across 17 tracks, Amos positions herself as both conqueror and coward, exploring how the greed and individualism of modern society has allowed tech feudalists and 21st-century robber barons to make out like kings.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
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The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police president calling the mayor a coward doesn’t keep a single teenager off the street.—
Louis Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While most healthy people can recover in four to seven days without treatment, some vulnerable groups, like children under 5, adults 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems, may experience more severe illness that requires medical treatment or hospitalization.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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The illness primarily affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women and their newborns, but can in some cases affect people outside of these groups, per FSIS.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Noun
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Henry is a megalomaniac and a complete wuss.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Weakling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weakling. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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